News / National
Employers to meet Labour minister
07 Feb 2019 at 02:45hrs | Views
EMPLOYERS Confederation of Zimbabwe (Emcoz) will this month hold a crucial meeting with Labour minister Sekai Nzenza over the state of the economy.
The meeting comes at a time the economy is experiencing a sharp decline, characterised by a pressing foreign currency deficit, cash and fuel shortages, which have resulted in sharp price hikes and shortages of basic commodities.
"The last half of 2018 coming into 2019 has seen a lot of changes in the economic landscape. This has made it difficult for businesses to plan. This is not only a vuca (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment but much more multi-faceted. Businesses are still yet to come to grips with the ever-changing environment.
This breakfast meeting is meant to take businesses through this environment, with a view to making recommendations to the Ministry of Finance," Emcoz said in a statement
"We have also organised this breakfast meeting so that members get an opportunity to meet Honourable minister Nzenza. Employers have not yet had a chance to meet the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and hear her vision for the ministry".
This would be a follow-up to the collective bargaining summit held in Nyanga last November.
Among the recommendations made at the summit was the need for an analytical and pragmatic approach to collective bargaining and to increase production.
Nzenza has been involved in negotiations with civil servants who are agitating for industrial action, citing poor working conditions and, in particular, low salaries.
Civil servants have demanded to be paid in foreign currency or a minimum of $1 700 in RTGS or bond notes, citing the rising cost of living, with inflation said to have hit 42%.
The hike in fuel prices by a whopping 150% sparked violent protests last month after the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions called for a national stayaway.
The meeting comes at a time the economy is experiencing a sharp decline, characterised by a pressing foreign currency deficit, cash and fuel shortages, which have resulted in sharp price hikes and shortages of basic commodities.
"The last half of 2018 coming into 2019 has seen a lot of changes in the economic landscape. This has made it difficult for businesses to plan. This is not only a vuca (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment but much more multi-faceted. Businesses are still yet to come to grips with the ever-changing environment.
This breakfast meeting is meant to take businesses through this environment, with a view to making recommendations to the Ministry of Finance," Emcoz said in a statement
"We have also organised this breakfast meeting so that members get an opportunity to meet Honourable minister Nzenza. Employers have not yet had a chance to meet the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and hear her vision for the ministry".
Among the recommendations made at the summit was the need for an analytical and pragmatic approach to collective bargaining and to increase production.
Nzenza has been involved in negotiations with civil servants who are agitating for industrial action, citing poor working conditions and, in particular, low salaries.
Civil servants have demanded to be paid in foreign currency or a minimum of $1 700 in RTGS or bond notes, citing the rising cost of living, with inflation said to have hit 42%.
The hike in fuel prices by a whopping 150% sparked violent protests last month after the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions called for a national stayaway.
Source - newsday
