THE country’s biggest labour centre, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), says it is concerned about increasing cases of labour rights violations and will be stepping up efforts to protect workers’ this year.
An increasing number of companies are struggling to remain afloat due to a tanking economy and this has made it difficult for many employers to pay their workers on time.
In 2024 several businesses were forced to retrench workers as they scaled down operations and employed tough measures to remain afloat.
The Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe 2024 summit held in December tackled growing concerns about unfair treatment of workers with unjust laws being among some of the issues that were cited as needing serious action.
Zimbabwe’s unending currency crisis that saw the country abandoning the RTGS in April and adopting the Zimbabwe Gold currency has worsened the plight of workers across all sectors.
ZTCU secretary general Runesu Dzimiri told Standardbusiness, that their focus would be the protection of workers’ rights.
“We have quite a number of strategies and plans that can be employed to protect workers' rights and some of these include engagement with government bodies to influence labour policies and legislation, advocating for better labour laws that protect workers’ rights at the (Tripartite Negotiating Forum) TNF Level, launching campaigns to raise awareness about workers’ rights, focusing on issues such as minimum wage, job security, and safe working conditions," Dzimiri said.
The majority of employers are paying salaries that are below the poverty datum line despite agreements at the TNF level and most workers are still being paid in local currency despite that the United States dollar is the most commonly used currency in Zimbabwe, the ZCTU said.
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“ZCTU plays a crucial role in advocating for workers’ rights and addressing the pressing challenges they face,” Dzimiri said.
“The union aims to address the pressing challenges affecting workers in Zimbabwe and to protect their rights and interests, through promoting solidarity, enhancing capacity, and advocating for fair policies, that way ZCTU will empower workers and create a more equitable labour environment”.
He said the several strategies the union was planning to implement to protect workers’ rights included engaging with government entities to influence labour policies and legislation.
“This also includes strengthening trade unions across various sectors, enhancing their capacity to negotiate better wages and working conditions on behalf of workers,” the ZCTU official said.
“It also includes providing training for union leadership on effective negotiation strategies to empower them in collective bargaining processes and offering legal assistance to workers facing unfair treatment or violations of their rights, including representation in disputes with employers.”
He criticised human rights executives and National Employment Council's representatives for aligning with management and neglecting worker interests.
