Zim trade union to resist cuts on workers' salaries
Zim trade union to resist cuts on workers' salariesBy George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Sunday July 15, 2007 [04:00]
THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has said it would fiercely resist any move to slash workers’ salaries in line with the recent price cuts. But the government has said it would not slash workers’ salaries despite the ongoing price cuts.
ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe said it had been brought to their attention that plans were underway to cut salaries of all workers by 50 per cent in line with the price cuts that have been taking place.
“The ZCTU would like to make it known that it will fiercely resist this move as it is retrogressive and goes against the dictates of International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions,” Chibebe said. “Government and businesses are the only parties that came up with the idea, which goes against the spirit of tripartism enshrined in ILO convention 144.”
He said the labour Act does not give the minister of labour or any other government agency any power to slash salaries of employees that are covered by the Act.
“Already workers have been on an uneven footing with salaries falling way below the poverty datum line. It would be unfair for government and its agencies to want to cut salaries by half when workers are struggling to survive,” Chibebe said. “The poverty datum line was at Z$5.5 million as at end of May 2007 and salaries were supposed to be increased to that level and reviewed on a monthly basis thereafter to match the poverty datum line. Parties agreed to this arrangement and signed the Incomes and Prices Stabilisation Protocol on June 1, 2007.”
Chibebe said prices have escalated since then and neither businesses nor the government had bothered to raise salaries to match the poverty datum line.
Chibebe said workers were tired of being sacrificial lambs and bearing the brunt of bad economic policies.
He said an economy could only run on the basis of sustainable programmes.
“We demand that the authorities rethink on this strategy as it will certainly throw the country into chaos. As of now some workers have been placed on forced leave,” Chibebe said. “The ZCTU is prepared to resist any move to cut salaries of all workers by 50 per cent and therefore urges workers to be prepared for massive resistance.”
But chairman of the Cabinet Taskforce on Price Monitoring and Stabilisation, Obert Mpofu said the government would not cut salaries despite the ongoing price reductions but was instead expecting employers to review workers’ salaries upwards.
Mpofu, who is also Minister of Industry and International Trade, said enemies of the State who did not want to see positive developments were propagating rumours that the Zimbabwean government would cut workers’ salaries.
posted by MrK @ 4:26 PM
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