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NewsDay

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May Day has lost lustre

Opinion & Analysis
Yesterday was international Workers’ Day, and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) held its main commemorations at Gwanzura Stadium in Harare with thousands of people in attendance.

Yesterday was international Workers’ Day, and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) held its main commemorations at Gwanzura Stadium in Harare with thousands of people in attendance.

NewsDay Comment

vendors

But, government chose to hold a separate event today at Rufaro Stadium, through its Zanu PF-aligned Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Union (ZFTU).

While the International Labour Day holds a lot of meaning across the world, it is the opposite in Zimbabwe, where over

20 000 employees were summarily dismissed following last year’s July 17 Supreme Court ruling allowing companies to fire workers without having to pay retrenchment packages.

The day should be celebrated as part of the recognition of working people’s struggles, reflecting on the struggles that have been fought in the quest for better working conditions, fair remuneration and workplace democracy.

It is from these struggles that great working people’s movements were born and have played a vital role in pushing for democracy as well as economic and social justice.

Yet, in Zimbabwe, the May Day has been turned into a political rally in most cases, where political statements are delivered at the expense of solving matters bedevilling the workers.

The workers are fighting a lone struggle, with government failing to provide succour due to unfriendly labour policies. Besides, given the mass dismissals of workers across the country due to the political stagnation in the country, there is no reason to believe the workers’ plight could be improved anytime soon.

Therefore, the only significance of these commemorations is the fact that they came at a time Zimbabwe is facing a myriad of insurmountable challenges underlined by a decaying economy, high unemployment, total collapse of service delivery and general hopelessness among the generality of the people.

Clearly, what is needed is a political answer to all the workers’ challenges, and unless President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF government reform the economy, no investment can be expected anytime soon.

From the messages, it appears it’s all doom and gloom for the country’s remaining workers unless a political solution is found.

Although, it is commendable for government to take part in Workers’ Day commemorations, plans by Zanu PF to shutdown the country’s largest food market — Mbare Musika — and the capital city’s central business district and drive vendors to Rufaro for its event, are not only provocative, but uncalled for given the majority of people eke a living from vending.

It is, therefore, regrettable and unfortunate for the Zanu PF government to forcibly drive vendors at a time they should be working for their families.

Is it not true that almost one million people have turned to vending in order for them to bring food to the table? Taking cognisance of the fact that the school calendar opens tomorrow, it is important that people are not forced to attend these commemorations. This is tantamount to stealing people’s loyalty, and we have no doubt this continued ill-treatment by the Zanu PF government will backfire.

We fail to understand how the Zanu PF commissariat department is involved with the workers’ plight, when all along, they have never featured anywhere especially when over 20 000 of them spontaneously lost their jobs due to the crippling economy.

Is the Rufaro event a Zanu PF rally which warrants the party commissariat department to be involved? We wonder what message Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa will give to the workers given all that is happening in the country — the poor performance of the economy, bad leadership, endemic corruption and unfriendly investment policies — all a result of Zanu PF.

During 2013 campaign, Zanu PF promised 2,2million jobs, but so far we have witnessed massive dismissals with no end in sight.