Newly-elected third vice-president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) Lucia Matibenga on Saturday said the labour movement was lobbying for formalisation of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) to make its resolutions binding.
Addressing delegates at the ZCTU’s seventh elective congress in Bulawayo over the weekend, Matibenga said the past five years had seen the union engaging the government and business on issues of workers’ concerns, economic stabilisation and policy formulation.
“We would like to see the TNF being formalised through constitutional provisions which will ensure partners do not easily deviate or chicken out of the agreed issues. We are lobbying to see a policy which will enable the TNF to be binding to all partners,” said Matibenga.
In 2008, the government, labour and business resumed TNF consultations after workers threatened to down tools following the record hyperinflation which had wreaked havoc in the economic sector.
Negotiations had in previous years collapsed due to endless haggling by the parties.
