Cash shortage dents Workers Day celebrations

TODAY'S May Day commemorations have been dampened by persistent cash shortages as workers yesterday continued to spend long hours in bank queues to withdraw their salaries.

Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in commemorating the day which was set aside to celebrate the worker. A snap survey done around the city of Bulawayo revealed that many workers were in bank queues seeking to withdraw their salaries.

Some of the workers told Sunday News that cash shortages had dampened the holiday mood especially considering that some of the affected people wanted to pay their children's school fees for the second term which opens on Tuesday.

"We are forced to spend the day here because this is a critical time, we have to pay school fees, rentals and other things so we cannot afford to relax. Our children will not be allowed to go to school if we do not pay school fees before opening day," said Mrs Sihle Ndiweni from Nketa.

She said the daily cash withdrawal limit of $200 was not enough to cover bills such as school fees and rentals.

"The daily limit is just not adequate school fees for boarders is more than that, rentals and paying service providers is also more. It is becoming expensive to come to the bank every day and the bank charges are also killing us. We need a change," she said.

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions secretary-general Mr Japhet Moyo said there was little to celebrate for workers this year.

"It is a sad Workers Day indeed because last year we had a huge complement of workers as it was before the Supreme Court ruling so a number of our colleagues were fired. Many are languishing in the rural areas as the city is now an expensive place for them to be, we remember these former workers on this day too," said Mr Moyo.