ZCTU gives govt 7-day ultimatum
By Blessings Mashaya
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) is stepping up threats to lead a national strike, pressing for United States dollar (USD) wages.
The warning follows massive price hikes that have affected almost every basic commodity, worsening the plight of the already struggling workers in Zimbabwe.
Most workers, who earn an average of $300 per month, are now resorting to walk to their workplaces as they can no longer afford transport fares.
The threat to strike came at the end of a ZCTU meeting in the capital this week.
The union has written to the minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Sekai Nzenza, on the need to address the current hardships facing workers and Zimbabweans in general due to escalating prices of goods and services or face a crippling national strike.
“The minister was given seven days to intervene, failure of which the labour body would mobilise Zimbabweans into a national strike,” said Japhet Moyo, the ZCTU secretary-general.
“Of great concern to the ZCTU are the shocking massive price hikes that have affected almost every basic commodity, worsening the plight of the already struggling masses of Zimbabwe.
“Most workers, who earn an average of $300 per month, are now resorting to walk to their workplaces as they can no longer afford transport fares.”
The ZCTU demands include the introduction of measures that curtail the current price hike madness, scraping off the two cents tax on every dollar transacted and the demand that workers be paid in USD. Daily News
