:As ZCTU Calls For Mass Protest
By Talent Gondo| The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) has called on citizens to embark on mass job action to reject Zanu Pf dictatorship recently demonstrated by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s action of firing striking nurses.
The country’s main labour body, which recently indicated that teachers will go on industrial action if their demands are not met when schools open, called on every citizen to down their tools in protest and solidarity of fired nurses.
“All workers and the majority of the poor citizens must rise and reject this dictatorship,” said the ZCTU in a tweet.
“We must protect our hardworking teachers, nurses, doctors and other workers who are working under difficult circumstances. We must give the ever blundering ministers a red card,” said the ZCTU.
VP Constantino Chiwenga recently fired all striking nurses saying they were being replaced with those who had retired or are currently qualified state registered nurses who are unemployed due to government freeze on nurses’ recruitment.
In a related development, ZCTU president Peter Mutasa told a local publication, the Daily News that the main labour body was currently mobilising its stakeholders to support a general strike, whose major objective aimed at displaying support to the striking nurses.
“What civil servants are demanding is legitimate, especially when one looks at the mockery of salaries that are being earned by doctors, teachers and nurses juxtaposed with the rate at which prices of basic commodities have been skyrocketing since September last year hence we have concluded that the best way forward is to protest in a very huge way,” said Mutasa.
“We are therefore out to tell those who have assumed the reins of power that we gave them enough time when they asked for 100 days. We are concerned that during the grace period, they have not shown an appetite to treat workers fairly and hence the resolution that we address them in the language we think they will understand better,” said Mutasa, calling on members of the public to join in the industrial action.
“We encourage everyone to be part of the strike whose dates and logistics we are still consulting on. We want kombi drivers, vendors and everyone else to be part of that because with nurses currently on strike, our health is not guaranteed even as we sell our wares in town. We need to stand up in solidarity with the health workers,” Mutasa added.
The Apex Council which is the umbrella representative body for civil servants is on record engaging government over their demands for a salary increment which they allege should be above the poverty datum line.
In his inauguration speech on November 24 last year, Mnangagwa promised improved working conditions for civil servants adding that his government would commit itself to paying annual bonuses.
However, to date nothing has changed for those in the civil service especially the education and health sector amid reports that the ED led administration is working on modalities to better soldiers’ conditions of service, a developments which experts say is a form of thanking the military which helped him ascend to power.