Opinion / Columnist
There's a lot to celebrate on Workers' Day
29 Apr 2016 at 10:33hrs | Views
Whenever the country moves towards a commemoration of a national event such as the Independence Day holiday, it has become the norm for some habitual doomsayers to not only write obituaries about the country's economy but also to dismiss the celebrations as unhelpful to the cause of the country.
These pessimists stand ready to pour cold water on any commemorations in the country.
Now that the country faces the Workers' Day commemorations, they are already saying there is nothing to celebrate for the workers.
Despite indications of gradual improvement in the economy, the doomsayers continue to preach doom and gloom.
They are throwing around statistics of workers who were retrenched last year due to an outmoded Labour Act inherited from colonial times as justification why workers have nothing to celebrate on Workers' Day.
They also talk of supposedly poor conditions of work at workplaces.
While clasped in the cloud of negativity, they fail to appreciate some positive developments in the country's labour market and other positive prospects in the economy that herald better times for the workers.
Although these nattering nabobs are fond of evoking the half-empty-glass innuendos about the retrenchment of around 20 000 workers, they forget to point out that workers now have more to celebrate as the pernicious Labour Act was amended at the behest of Government.
Government spearheaded and fast-tracked the amendment of the Labour Act in a bid to protect the workers from the predatory behaviour of capitalist business people who sought to capitalize on the 17 July 2015 Constitutional Court ruling that allowed companies to retrench workers on three month's notice without compensation.
The law was eventually amended to become the Labour Amendment Act that seeks to cushion employees from the inconsiderate and whimsical behaviour of employers who were summarily dismissing them from work.
The Labour Amendment Act might not be perfect and could contain loopholes, which by the way would naturally be corrected with the passing of time, but it stands as a symbol of Government's commitment to protect and promote the rights of workers, and this is an apt cause for celebration for workers who are now assured of a secure tenure at work.
More so, Government is moving to financially assist the retrenched workers by setting up a fund to help them in starting small to medium business enterprises.
Reports indicate that through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation (SMEDCO), the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, will soon avail some National Social Security Authority (NSSA)-underwritten loans to the retrenched workers to enable them to set up business units.
Similarly, Government, through the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Government Programme, is also spearheading programmes that would empower employees at workplaces by ensuring that they become shareholders in companies they are working for under the Employees Share Ownership Schemes.
Notably, several companies, including Old Mutual Zimbabwe and Schweppes Limited have ceded shares to their employees thus empowering them and boosting their long-term financial needs.
In addition, Government has always maintained an open door policy towards labour unions who are accommodated under the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) that gives them space to air their concerns to policy makers and assist them in shaping the destiny of the country.
Also to demonstrate its undiluted support for workers, Government has this year re-assumed its role of organizing the Workers' Day commemorations and has thus shouldered any expenses and logistics thereof related to the event as well as giving workers a plump opportunity to relay their concerns to Government.
Besides the labour related developments, there are more positive economic spinoffs taking shape in the country that could be a cause of celebration for the workers.
There are indications that some companies such as Zimplats, which recently recorded an increase in production of 71 percent, are emerging from the economic quagmire and have witnessed a growth in capacity utilization after squirming under a protracted period of an economic blizzard.
Such increase in capacity utilization is likely to translate into creation of more job opportunities for the workers.
Cognisant of the above-mentioned developments, it would be foolhardy for anyone to claim that employees have nothing to celebrate on Workers' Day commemorations this year.
There is more for workers to celebrate and be grateful for having a job at a time the country is saddled with unrelenting vilification and deleterious economic embargoes.
These pessimists stand ready to pour cold water on any commemorations in the country.
Now that the country faces the Workers' Day commemorations, they are already saying there is nothing to celebrate for the workers.
Despite indications of gradual improvement in the economy, the doomsayers continue to preach doom and gloom.
They are throwing around statistics of workers who were retrenched last year due to an outmoded Labour Act inherited from colonial times as justification why workers have nothing to celebrate on Workers' Day.
They also talk of supposedly poor conditions of work at workplaces.
While clasped in the cloud of negativity, they fail to appreciate some positive developments in the country's labour market and other positive prospects in the economy that herald better times for the workers.
Although these nattering nabobs are fond of evoking the half-empty-glass innuendos about the retrenchment of around 20 000 workers, they forget to point out that workers now have more to celebrate as the pernicious Labour Act was amended at the behest of Government.
Government spearheaded and fast-tracked the amendment of the Labour Act in a bid to protect the workers from the predatory behaviour of capitalist business people who sought to capitalize on the 17 July 2015 Constitutional Court ruling that allowed companies to retrench workers on three month's notice without compensation.
The law was eventually amended to become the Labour Amendment Act that seeks to cushion employees from the inconsiderate and whimsical behaviour of employers who were summarily dismissing them from work.
The Labour Amendment Act might not be perfect and could contain loopholes, which by the way would naturally be corrected with the passing of time, but it stands as a symbol of Government's commitment to protect and promote the rights of workers, and this is an apt cause for celebration for workers who are now assured of a secure tenure at work.
More so, Government is moving to financially assist the retrenched workers by setting up a fund to help them in starting small to medium business enterprises.
Reports indicate that through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation (SMEDCO), the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, will soon avail some National Social Security Authority (NSSA)-underwritten loans to the retrenched workers to enable them to set up business units.
Similarly, Government, through the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Government Programme, is also spearheading programmes that would empower employees at workplaces by ensuring that they become shareholders in companies they are working for under the Employees Share Ownership Schemes.
Notably, several companies, including Old Mutual Zimbabwe and Schweppes Limited have ceded shares to their employees thus empowering them and boosting their long-term financial needs.
In addition, Government has always maintained an open door policy towards labour unions who are accommodated under the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) that gives them space to air their concerns to policy makers and assist them in shaping the destiny of the country.
Also to demonstrate its undiluted support for workers, Government has this year re-assumed its role of organizing the Workers' Day commemorations and has thus shouldered any expenses and logistics thereof related to the event as well as giving workers a plump opportunity to relay their concerns to Government.
Besides the labour related developments, there are more positive economic spinoffs taking shape in the country that could be a cause of celebration for the workers.
There are indications that some companies such as Zimplats, which recently recorded an increase in production of 71 percent, are emerging from the economic quagmire and have witnessed a growth in capacity utilization after squirming under a protracted period of an economic blizzard.
Such increase in capacity utilization is likely to translate into creation of more job opportunities for the workers.
Cognisant of the above-mentioned developments, it would be foolhardy for anyone to claim that employees have nothing to celebrate on Workers' Day commemorations this year.
There is more for workers to celebrate and be grateful for having a job at a time the country is saddled with unrelenting vilification and deleterious economic embargoes.
Source - Gwinyai Mutongi
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