Eleven top leaders of the breakaway faction of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) aligned to Lovemore Matombo were yesterday arrested and briefly detained after they led a demonstration in Harare aimed at pressuring employers to pay salaries above the poverty datum line.
ZCTU lawyer Jeremiah Bhamu said his clients were briefly detained at Harare Central Police Station before being released without charge.
Among those arrested were Matombo, ZCTU secretary-general Raymond Majongwe, Elijah Chiripasi, Isdore Zindoga, Vrante Jambaya, Emelda Muriro, Tryvvinne Musokeri, Pride Mukono and several others.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector James Sabau said he was unaware of the arrest of the labour leaders.
Matombo had told NewsDay before he was arrested that his organisation wanted the salary increases backdated to January this year.
“Through the protests, we aim to achieve the poverty datum wages for all workers in the country, calling on all employers to increase workers’ salaries backdated to the first of January this year,” Matombo said.
The ZCTU boss took a swipe at some company executives in the country for awarding themselves hefty salaries and perks of between $8 000 and $20 000 while their employees wallowed in poverty.
He said the labour body had not sought police clearance for the demonstrations claiming they did not need to have their functions sanctioned by the police.
