Zim workers fight for labour law reforms

03 May, 2015 - 00:05 0 Views
Zim workers fight for labour law reforms

The Sunday Mail

workHarmony Agere

At the height of the second industrial revolution in the late nineteenth century, workers were in constant struggle fighting against the oppressive employer.

During that time working conditions were unbearable and it was common to work 10 to 16 hours a day in unsafe conditions while death and injury were the order of the day.

However, inspired by books such as Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle and Jack” London’s “The Iron Heel”, workers intensified their struggle for better working conditions.

Although the struggle took a while, on May 1 1886 workers won the fight to work only eight hours a day giving birth to the International Workers’ Day.

Zimbabwean workers are calling for reforms to labour laws

Zimbabwean workers are calling for reforms to labour laws

As Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in celebrating Workers’ Day on Friday, the country’s working class iS now seized with yet another struggle.

While workers in the 19th century fought for shorter working hours and improvement in working conditions, Zimbabwean workers today are fighting for labour law reforms.

Involuntary retrenchments, wages pegged below poverty datum line, late payment of salaries and sexual harassment of women are some of the conditions confronting the workers.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary-general, Mr Japhet Moyo, said workers in Zimbabwe are under siege from various challenges and are not receiving protection from anyone.

“Our theme this year is ‘Workers under siege: Arise and fight on’ because we believe as workers we are under siege from various challenges and we have no-one to protect us,” he said.

“Workers are not being treated fairly because current labour laws favour the employer. It is our hope that the proposed labour reforms will change that.

“However, we do not like the tone being set by some officials who want the reforms to give power of retrenchment and dismissal to companies.

“We also do not like proposals by Government officials to cut salaries and retrench people in the civil service.”

Government says it has already done a lot of ground work to try and improve the conditions of workers in the country.

Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Senator Prisca Mupfumira acknowledged that current labour laws could be improved since some are fragmented.

“As a ministry we observed gaps brought in by the advent of fragmented labour laws and the need to align these laws with the new Constitution.

“… These Labour laws are at drafting stage. Government is working to ensure that the provisions of the Constitution are tenable on the ground.”

In that regard, Senator Mupfumira said Government is engaged with some social partners in reviewing labour legislation for the private and public sector.

She said her Ministry takes pride in providing the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) as a platform to engage in social dialogue in order to come up with socio-economic contracts.

“It has been difficult in the past to get parties to respect the binding nature of our agreements hence the social partners agreed to put in place a legal framework which has been considered and principals adopted it and is with the Attorney General for drafting the Bill,” she said.

Senator Mupfumira lamented the high number of company closures saying the development has left a lot of youths unemployed.

“A lot of jobs were lost through company closures and through massive retrenchments. According to ZimStat, our industry performance has been going down as it is failing to absorb youth entering into the labour market,” she said

“While we appreciate the role played by the informal sector, we cannot ignore the disadvantages in terms of social security for our workers and the effects of revenue inflow into the fiscus.”

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) commended Government for showing initiative in improving workers’ rights but urged it to expedite the alignment of the Labour Act to ensure that fair labour practices prevail in the country.

“The ZHRC, therefore, urges the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to expedite the alignment of the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01) and related labour instruments to the constitution,” reads a statement made by the commission.

“The rights provided for in Section 65 of the Constitution are in line with international labour standards and norms as developed and adopted over the years within the auspices of The International Labour Organisation (ILO)”

The ZHRC also bemoaned the condition of workers in the country saying only the upgrading of the economy will improve the livelihoods of workers.

“As we celebrate this important day for workers, the ZHRC notes with concern, however, that due to the prevailing depressed economic environment workers in the country, both in the formal and informal sectors, continue to face immense challenges negatively impacting on their livelihoods.

“These challenges include involuntary retrenchments, wages pegged below poverty datum line, late payment of salaries and sexual harassment of women at the workplace.”

While some of the workers’ views seem radical statistics show that it isn’t an easy thing to celebrate Workers’ Day if you are a Zimbabwean worker.

A salary survey conducted by FinScope last year shows that at least 76 percent of Zimbabwe’s adult population is living on less than $200 a month.

According to retrenchment statistics compiled by the Retrenchment Board, 3 881 workers lost their jobs in 2014.

Findings from the 2014 Labour Force and Child Labour Survey show that 280 415 workers were injured at the workplace. In the same survey 127 832 work-related illnesses were recorded.

However, observers say in as much as workers need to be protected there is need to strike a balance between employers and employees to ensure that workers’ rights are protected while the laws remain favourable for investment.

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