Maravi

(HERALD) Labour to focus on production

Labour to focus on production
By John Manzongo

Labour social partners have largely agreed that there is need for them to focus on production rather than cling on disputes for the development of the economy.

Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe vice president Mr Jack Murehwa in an interview yesterday said while last year was marred by a lot of disputes which emanated from the gap between worker expectations and the reality on the ground, 2010 was going to be different.

"While in 2008 it was possible to more than double wages in synchrony with inflation every quarter, in 2009 inflation dropped to below zero and wages would have been expected to remain static for long.

"At national employment councils, employers have a big challenge to convince workers to look at wages in the new economic context as they believe that in 2010 a meeting of minds will prevail among the parties and we consider wages in the same manner we did before the era of extreme inflation," he said.

Zimbabwe Banking and Allied Workers’ Union general secretary Mr Wellington Liukukuma said workers were prepared to work for the betterment of the economy as long as employers were prepared to offer them poverty datum line-linked wages.

"If we get PDL-linked salaries of around US$490 a month, then I can assure you that salary disputes and quarterly salary reviews would be a thing of the past.

"We are now operating in a very stable economy where workers can safely do their budgets and live a decent life.

"Workers are very optimistic about the new year as they believe there are a lot of business opportunities which might be brought by the South African 2010 soccer showcase.

"As partners, we should work together to ensure that the Zimbabwean economy regains its previous status," he said.

Mr Murehwa said employers were committed to improving working conditions of workers especially by creating more jobs and making sure that competition prevails again in a situation that will see skilled workers in demand.

"The greatest form of motivation employers can give their workers for now is the guarantee of continued existence of jobs, resuscitation of lost jobs and the creation of new ones.

"Many employers are still in survival mode and they appreciate that they need workers to remain in business. This symbiotic relationship has always existed and we believe it will continue," he said.

He said employers were putting in all their energies to capitalise on the stable macro-economic fundamentals and that when the apparent differences with labour are finally resolved, the future looks good as both partners would start pursuing a common goal — that of building a competitive Zimbabwean economy.

Labels: INFLATION, LABOUR, SALARIES

posted by MrK @ 3:04 AM