The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)s’ continuous
calls for protests in the country have been exposed as a way of trying to
position the body for the UNI Global Union’s Breaking Through Award, which
comes with a US$200 000 prize money.
Awarded in Switzerland, the Breaking Through Award is aimed
at recognising trade unions from around the world that have recorded
“exceptional victories” in union density and mobilisations.
ZCTU has been planning to mobilise workers for a mass
stayaway countrywide and last week, a planned protest flopped.
The Herald has it on good authority that over the weekend,
the ZCTU held a general council meeting at Gorlon House in Harare to chart the
way forward after they failed to get a positive response from their members.
The meeting was attended by over 30 officials who agreed to
meet again tomorrow.
“They have since seen that they are failing to mobilise
both the people and the workers and have resolved that they want to move around
Harare addressing people, especially the youths,” said a source who attended
the meeting.
“They have identified six areas that is Mabvuku, Highfield,
Epworth, Chitungwiza, Dzivarasekwa and the Central Business District with the
hope of conducting the stayaway month end.
“ZCTU president Mr Peter Mutasa encouraged members to
remain focused in light of the Breaking Through Award. The funding gap has made
it necessary to fight for the prize money.”
The ZCTU has also failed to get funding from the
International Labour Organisation and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), an
organisation based in Germany.
The two organisations recently informed the ZCTU leadership
that they were not going to fund any violent protests in the country, but only
issues to do with peace building and dialogue.
Reached for comment Mr Mutasa said: “UNI awards have always
been there for many years now, probably since 2012. A Zimbabwean union CWUZ
(Commercial Workers Union of Zimbabwe) got some of these awards before.
“There is nothing special about these awards that the whole
ZCTU will focus on that. ZCTU is not even an affiliate of UNI, ZIBAWU (Zimbabwe
Banks and Allied Workers Union) is the affiliate of UNI. ZCTU has no
relationship with UNI serve that they share affiliates.”
Mr Mutasa revealed that he was set to get a UNI Global
Union award for “freedom from fear”.
“For your information, l have already been awarded a UNI
freedom from fear award and only await its handing over sometime at the
ceremony end of year,” he said.
“This was awarded without ZIBAWU nominating me, but through
a decision of other unions in other countries.
“So, how can the call for better salaries be for something
that has already occurred?”
Over the weekend, Mr Mutasa was quoted in the local media
alleging that the ZCTU was being pushed by the workers who felt that they had
no choice other than to protest in order for their voices to be heard.
In May, the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) pulled
out of the ZCTU, accusing the umbrella labour representative body of
continuously dabbling in opposition politics, undermining the cause of workers.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister
Monica Mutsvangwa recently said Government had noted with concern the
subversive messages circulating on social media inciting people to disturb the
prevailing peace and stability by engaging in illegal activities such as
looting, burning property and assaulting people going to work. Herald
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