News / National
Tsvangirai urges workers to take to the streets
02 May 2014 at 11:38hrs | Views
HARARE - Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday urged workers to take to the streets to demand the 2 million jobs promised by President Robert Mugabe in the run up to last year's general elections.
Tsvangirai, who was speaking at the Workers' Day celebrations at Gwanzura Stadium in Harare, said the economic crisis would not be resolved if the Zanu PF government was not put under pressure.
"I am a man who believes in action," Tsvangirai said. "Maybe, I am getting old but the young workers must be seen to be taking the initiative because we need to put pressure on the government to respond to the national crisis. We used to have over 2 million workers, where are they? They have all gone into the informal sector and that is Zanu PF's record," he said amid applause.
Addressing the same gathering, ZCTU president George Nkiwane warned that workers would take to the streets if government proceeds with its decision to review the Labour Act.
Nkiwane said government was bent on empowering employers to pay poor wages and allow employers to hire and fire workers willy-nilly.
"We reiterate that we will use all the energy we have to resist changes to the labour law that have adverse effects on the workers, even if it means taking to the streets to protect workers," Nkiwane said.
Meanwhile, Public Service minister Nicholas Goche snubbed the May Day celebrations and sent a representative with a prepared speech. Goche's represantative Fanwell Francis Mafuratidze was booed by the workers the moment he mentioned "ZimAsset" in the prepared speech.
Even the intervention of ZCTU secretary-general Japhet Moyo could not silence the workers who were clearly not interested in listening to the speech, calling on Mafuratidze to sit down.
"Let him speak comrades, we know what he wants to say but we gave him the chance because we represent everyone regardless of political affiliation. Can we have order please we want discipline," Moyo pleaded with the defiant workers.
This year's celebrations were held under the theme "Workers Intensify the Struggle; No to labour market flexibility."
Tsvangirai, who was speaking at the Workers' Day celebrations at Gwanzura Stadium in Harare, said the economic crisis would not be resolved if the Zanu PF government was not put under pressure.
"I am a man who believes in action," Tsvangirai said. "Maybe, I am getting old but the young workers must be seen to be taking the initiative because we need to put pressure on the government to respond to the national crisis. We used to have over 2 million workers, where are they? They have all gone into the informal sector and that is Zanu PF's record," he said amid applause.
Addressing the same gathering, ZCTU president George Nkiwane warned that workers would take to the streets if government proceeds with its decision to review the Labour Act.
Nkiwane said government was bent on empowering employers to pay poor wages and allow employers to hire and fire workers willy-nilly.
Meanwhile, Public Service minister Nicholas Goche snubbed the May Day celebrations and sent a representative with a prepared speech. Goche's represantative Fanwell Francis Mafuratidze was booed by the workers the moment he mentioned "ZimAsset" in the prepared speech.
Even the intervention of ZCTU secretary-general Japhet Moyo could not silence the workers who were clearly not interested in listening to the speech, calling on Mafuratidze to sit down.
"Let him speak comrades, we know what he wants to say but we gave him the chance because we represent everyone regardless of political affiliation. Can we have order please we want discipline," Moyo pleaded with the defiant workers.
This year's celebrations were held under the theme "Workers Intensify the Struggle; No to labour market flexibility."
Source - Daily News
