2014 Labour Perspective of the policy dialogue and parliament engagement1

ZCTU

SURVEY ON

Workers Perspectives of the Trade Union policy andparliament engagement during Seventh Parliamentand the recommendations and suggestions for future

strategies for engagement

BY V.E.M. Zinyama MushongeraParliament Affairs and Advocacy Desk 2014

1

Content

1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................3

2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE SURVEY ....................................3

3. METHODOLOGY ...........................................................4

4. ABSTRACT ..............................................................5

5. POLICY AND PARLIAMENT ENGAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS .................9

6. HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE PARLIAMENT AFFAIRS & ADVOCACY DESK .........10

7. POLICY AND PARLIAMENT ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK ...........................12

8. SADC MODEL FOR DEMOCRATIC PARLIAMENT ................................13

9. CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS ............................................13

10. THE GUIDED INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE ................................13

11. FINDINGS ...........................................................15

I. CEMENT & LIME WORKERS UNION OF ZIMBABWE .................................. 17 II. COMMERCIAL WORKERS UNION ............................................... 18 III. FEDERATION OF FOOD WORKERS UNION OF ZIMBABWE .............................. 19 IV. GENERAL AGRICULTURE PLANTATION WORKERS UNION OF ZIMBABWE ................... 20 V. NATIONAL ENERGY WORKERS UNION OF ZIMBABWE ................................ 21 VI. NATIONAL ENGINEERING WORKERS UNION OF ZIMBABWE ............................ 22 VII. NATIONAL MINE WORKERS UNION .......................................... 24 VIII. NATIONAL UNION OF CLOTHING ........................................... 25 IX. NUMAIZ ............................................................. 26 X. ZIMBABWE TRANSPORT AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION ............................. 28 XI. PUBLIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION ............................................. 29 XII. ZIMBABWE AMALGAMATED RAILWAY WORKERS UNION ............................... 30 XIII. RAILWAY ASSOCIATION OF YARD OPERATORS .................................. 31 XIV. RAILWAY ARTISANS UNION ............................................... 32 XV. ZIMBABWE BANKS AND ALLIED WORKERS UNION ................................ 33 XVI. ZIMBABWE CATERING & HOTEL WORKERS UNION ................................ 35 XVII. ZIMBABWE CHEMICALS AND PLASTICS ALLIED WORKERS UNION ..................... 36 XVIII. ZIMBABWE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS UNION .................................... 37 XIX. ZIMBABWE DOMESTIC AND ALLIED WORKERS UNION .............................. 38 XX. ZIMBABWE EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC AND ALLIED WORKERS UNION ..................... 39 XXI. ZIMBABWE FURNITURE & TIMBER ALLIED WORKERS UNION ........................ 41 XXII. ZIMBABWE SECURITY GUARDS UNION ........................................ 42

2

XXIII. ZIMBABWE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION ......................................... 43 XXIV. ZIMBABWE TEXTILE WORKERS UNION ........................................ 44 XXV. ZIMBABWE TOBACCO INDUSTRIAL WORKERS UNION ............................... 45 XXVI. ZIMBABWE UNION OF JOURNALIST .......................................... 45 XXVII. ZIMBABWE URBAN COUNCILS WORKERS UNION .................................. 47 XXVIII ZCTU REGIONAL -POLICY AND PARLIAMENT ENGAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES ............. 48

12. SUMMARY & ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS ....................................50

1. DEMONSTRATES DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF ISSUES IMPACTING ON ZCTU POLICY AND PARLIAMENT ENGAGEMENT ................................................50

13. RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................52

Topics requiring further research ........................................................................................................52Outcomes of Group Work from the General Secretaries validation workshop ................................53Diagram presentation of recommendations ......................................................................................55

14. CONCLUSIONS ........................................................ 55 15. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................ 59 15. ATTACHMENTS ........................................................ 60

1.Introduction

Zimbabwe has just gone through an election (31 July 2013) fromwhence emerged one party winning by what it terms “super majority”.However, a crisis of legitimacy still hangs over due observers’statements where essentially the elections could not be said to befree and fair and thus their credibility remains questionable.Zimbabwe’s economy is still fragile and some people felt that the

3

trajectory to achieve full democracy may have been put in reversegear and thus undermining the chances to achieve broad based, pro-poor participatory economic development. This is supportedby the preliminary reports from the SADC, the AU, Regional civicsociety organisations including SATUCC confirmed that althoughelections were held in a peaceful environment, particularly on theday of voting, they fell far short of meeting with conditions thatwould enable them to pass the credibility test for free and fair .

2.Specific Objectives Of The SurveyThe specific objectives of this study were to :

-Establish the workers’ perspective of the policy andparliament efforts by the trade union fraternity during the7th parliament and its effects on the collective bargainingplatform.

-Assess the trade union capacities to engage and knowledgeof the existence of policy, political and parliamentengagement platforms.

-Capture the constraints and concerns with the Trade Unionlobbying and advocacy efforts

-Gather recommendations and suggestions for lobbying andadvocacy strategies.

Assessing whether the Trade Union movement is ready to play aneffective role in establishment of policy dialogue platforms

3.MethodologyThe study collected qualitative data through guided interviews withthe General Secretaries of affiliates or their representatives. Thusthe respondents were purposively selected as GSs to enable the studyto capture the feeling of the trade unionist in general and theiraspirations and expectations from the lobbying and advocacy effortswithin the sectors and at national level. Other key informantinterviews where held with Parliament of Zimbabwe public relationsdesk and the Southern Africa Parliament Support Trust who alsoproffered some recommendations worth noting. Thus altogether therewere 31 affiliates and 2 key informants.

Trade Union/Organisation Respondent Gender Position

1 Cement & Lime Workers Union

Mandla Sibanda M

2 Commercial Workers Union Mr. KarikuimbaMr. Chamunogwa

M

4

3 Federation of Food Workers Union

Mr. Gwatiringa M

4 General Agriculture & Plantation Workers Union

Mr. Gift Muti M

5 National Union of Clothing Industry

Mr. Tanyanyiwa M

6 National Engineering Workers Union of Zimbabwe

Mr. Mashingaidze

M

7 Railway Artisans Union Ms S. Siwela F8 Railway Association of

EngineeringMr Ncube/Mr Muza

M

9 Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railway men’s Union

Mr Nhemachena M

10 Zimbabwe Banks & Allied Workers Union

Mr P.G. Mutasa M

11 Zimbabwe Catering and Hotel Workers Union

Mr. Nxumalo M

12 Zimbabwe Chemicals & Plastics Allied Workers Union

Mr. Chiwara M

13 Zimbabwe Construction & Allied Trades Workers Union

Mrs F. Mugabe F

14 Zimbabwe Education, scientific and Allied Workers Union

Mr. Mtindindi M

15 Zimbabwe Furniture & Timber Allied Tried Union

Mr. Chishakwe M

16 Zimbabwe Textile Workers Union

Mr. Kuveya M

17 Zimbabwe Tobacco IndustryWorkers Union

Mr. B. Sibanda M

18 Zimbabwe Urban Council Workers Union

Mr. Mahlangu M

19 Zimbabwe Union of Journalists

Mr. Foster Dongozi

M

20 National Union of Metal Allied Industries of Zimbabwe

Mr.& Mr. Dhliwayo

M

21 Zimbabwe Security Guards Union

M

22 Zimbabwe State Universities

Mr. Dube M

23 Zimbabwe Teachers Association

Mr. Ndlovu M

24 Transport Workers Union of Zimbabwe

Mr. Matanhira M

25 Public Servants Mr. Tichareva M

5

Association26 Zimbabwe Pulp and Paper

Workers UnionMr. Ngirazi M

27 National Energy Workers Union of Zimbabwe

Mr. Masvingwe M

28 National Mine Worker Union

Mr. Mushaike M

29 North Eastern Regional Chair

Mr. Jokonia Mawopa

M

30 Western Regional Chair Mr. Reason Ngwenya

M

30 Railway Association of Yard Operating Staff

Mr. Mazorodze M

31 Parliament of Zimbabwe Public Relations Desk

Major Mbewe M

32 Southern Africa Parliament Support Trust

Mr. Phillip MziriMr. John Makamure

M

33 Mr. Collen Gwiyo Former MP (MDC)

M

34 Mrs Zinyemba Former Chair PPF Labour (ZPF)

F

35 Mr. Unganai Dickson Tarusenga

Current MP (MDC)

F

Thus characteristics of the sampling frame consisted of 31Affiliates of the Zimbabwe Congress OF Trade Unions and five keyinformants and the process of the interviews where face to face ortelephonically

4.Abstract The 7th Parliament has come and gone. During it’s era, which wasunder a Government of National Unity, the workers and the workingclass of Zimbabwe continued to suffer skewed distribution of income,insecure jobs and unsafe and poor working conditions. Whiles therewere attempts to engage the then government structures through the

6

relevant ministries as well as the Parliament Portfolio Committees(PPC), there were little gains for labour.

Instead most policies and political statements by policy makerswere direct attacks on the workers and the trade unions.

At the same time the financial crisis which hit the country underthe same period further depleted the organisations’ income(s). Therewere many changes in the country’s industrial set up as businesssought to merge or relocate for purposes of remaining in business.This made collective bargaining difficult.

The shift to multicurrency system which wiped out all savingsresulting in an undercapitalized economy did not help the situation,where the government sought to use low wages and harmoniousrelations as a magnet for foreign direct investment.

This scenario does not present an environment which is conducivefor successful and effective TUs whose strength is generallymeasured through membership contributions, union density andcollective bargaining outcomes.

The Zimbabwean economy is faced with a huge informal economy sectorwith the 2011 UNDP Human Development report stating that theinformal economy constitutes more than 90% of the economy .Thiseconomy having been presumed in 1990, at the beginning of the ESAP,to be of a transitory nature associated with lower levels economicdevelopment and poor working conditions and was prophesied that itwould disappear as development occurred, is now proving to beentrenched .The question therefore is whether the ZCTU has doneenough to sensitise workers and their structures, both formal andinformal on the importance of collective representation and to whatextend has it made efforts to extend collective agreements toexcluded workers and at least get the government to account for thelabour performed by workers lacking legal status , recognition andexcluded from all forms of social justice .Generally, one would becurious to know the efforts and success of unionizing the informalworkers as well as managing to get society to be concerned with theinformal economy.

The Generation Y effect has also taken its toll, as the country’srecent census acknowledges that Zimbabwe has a relatively younglabour force composed of a technology savvy group, who have an

7

appetite for speed, flashy and fast life. It is said that theybelong to instant society and expect a fast- track upward careermovement. Naturally they may not have the patience to go throughTrade Union schooling and capacitation in negotiation skills andsocial democrats ideology.

Collective bargaining (CB) is the single and most essential processof negotiating wages and working conditions as well as bilateral andtripartite negotiations which seek to establish social and economicredistributive and productive policies. At the same time social andeconomic improvement for workers is still the bread and butter roleof the trade union movement. The challenge is whether workers candislodge the hegemonic class rule as well as achieve separation ofthe state from ruling party. The trade union and its structures arecalled to service its membership adequately such that they are ableto contribute to national development and democratisation. With alltheir multilevel structures must be able to inculcate democraticownership by engaging in politics and policy making processes,providing voices for the marginalised and holding authorities toaccount. They must go beyond the basics as well maintain /collective bargaining power.

Another wind of change is in the Human Resource Management (HRM)arena, which in some instances is viewed as the devil’s angel? Sentto wipe out trade unions. J. Storey defines human resourcemanagement as a distinctive approach to employment management whichseeks to achieve competitive advantage through strategic deploymentof highly committed and capable workforce using an integrated arrayof cultural and personnel techniques. This concept fits with thestrategic thrust of the capitalistic structures and thus it isnormally backed with a huge budget which empowers it to ensure thatemployees are totally committed and loyal to organization’s visionand goals. The techniques employed sometimes end up being identifiedas anti – union and worker power landmines.

While we have a parliament dominated by one political party, we alsohave a new constitution which for the first time bears labourrights; grantees the right to strike and a provision for at least 5independent commissions supporting democracy which are the ZEC,ZHRC, ZGC, ZMC and the NPRC. The same constitution has elaborateprovisions for the parliament, which seek to establish as an

8

independent arm of government. The SADC has also institutedguidelines for parliaments in a democratic system and there are alsonow more political parties and civic society organisations which mayor may not be aligned to political parties which are active in ourcommunities. The NANGO survey published in June 2013 stated thatthere are at least 993 NGOs registered as PVOs and that the numbertrusts operating in the country is not known. The churches havealso increase significantly such that they now compete for space inthe CBD and industrial sites.

It is therefore apparent that there are negative and positivedevelopments within the advocacy framework, which can impact ontrade union policy and parliament advocacy

These dynamics mean that as we propose strategies for advocacy weneed to take these aspects into consideration.

The Parliament of Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe parliament is a bicameral meaning that it has twohouses which are the upper house known as the senate and theNational Assembly which is also referred as the main house . It ispromulgated by the president of the country soon after the swearingof Parliamentarians and cabinet and inauguration of the president.

Since 1997 the parliament embarked on a reform programme with theassistance of SAPST (Southern Africa Parliament Support Trust)) theSADC with a view to democratise it through;

Strengthening technical support for the committees Encouraging public participation in parliament Providing back up teams of policy analysts Organising study visits in the region Facilitating civic and public engagement through training

workshopsSince then the parliament has come up with its core values , whichare responsiveness, teamwork, transparency, accountability,professionalism, integrity and honesty. The institution alsoattained the ISO certification in Quality Management Systems

9

Current State of Parliament

The Parliament of Zimbabwe Composition Senate National AssemblyTotal number of Senators: 8060 proportional representation seats 6 for each for 10 provinces. The party list must list a woman first followed by man then a woman, a man, a woman and a man.2 to represent people with disabilities18 chiefs - 2 elected by the provincial assembly of Chiefs from each of the provinces, otherthan the metropolitan provinces plus the President and Deputy President of the National Councilof Chiefs.

Total number: 270210 constituency electionsAs previously, the candidate who receives a simple majority of thevalid votes cast in the constituency will win that seat. (e.g. 3 candidates A-45%; B-35%; C-20% - A wins)

60 reserved party list seats for women: 6 in each of 10 provinces.

The Structure of Parliament of Zimbabwe

10

Speaker of the

HA

Clerk of

ParliamentPrincipal

Directors Support Staff

Committee

clerks

Deputy Speaker

POS

Dep POS

1. The parliament committees met 699 times in 2011 and 643 times in2012 and altogether 10 reports were presented in parliament in 2011and 22 reports were presented in 2012.

2. The House of Assembly approved 7 treaties and trade agreementswhich include

a. Loan from China Export / Import Bankb. Loan on rehabilitation of Sewer system and Municipal Water

System for Hararec. Government Concession loan on Victoria Falls Airport Projectd. Convention to establish centre for Fertiliser developmente. Protocol on prevent and suppress trafficking in personsf. Protection of traditional knowledge

3. Bills which were processed and passed by Parliamenta. Finance Billb. Appropriation Amendmentc. Finance No. 2d. Electoral Amendmente. Older Persons Billf. Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Billg. Amendment No. 20

Comparison of Visits to

ParliamentYear

Schools

Tertiary Institutes

Foreigners

Organisation Total

2010 66 10 39 0 115

2011 113 8 41 8 170

2012 100 10 44 3 157

279 28 124 11 442

11

0100200 66

10 39 0115113

8 41 8

170100

10 44 3

157

Comparison of Visits to Parliament

201020112012

Type of Visitors

NUMBER OF vISITORS

The above is an indication that the group which frequents theparliament the most is primary and high school students. These arefollowed by the foreigners and most of them are researchers anddiplomats. The least visitors are the organisations which indicatesbig gape in parliament engagement by the ordinary Zimbabwe. This isalso exacerbated by the fact that in the 7th parliament only 60Parliament Information Centres were operational and currently nonare functional due to budgetary constraints

5.Policy and Parliament Engagement Environment Analysis

12

Workers

De-Industrialisation , company closures,

mergers and takeovers a threat to existance of the

TU

Trade Union Leaders faced with the

obligation to uphold ILO tenetsand ITUC principles and guidelines for TU effectiveness.

Bargaining Power of Workers reduced by economic crisis and environment , Trade

Union space shrinking , weak

collective bargaining platfroms

A huge informal economy composed of an aging population anrequiring

reskillingd and redeployment as well as a young labourforce which are largerly no unionised

Continued labour exploitation by

corporate businesse through unfair trade

agreements

Gvt. Interference and undermining

Parliament dominated byone political

6.Historical Context of the Parliament Affairs & Advocacy Desk

In 2001 the ZCTU at the 5th Congress adopted a report whichcontained a portion on the weaknesses of the Zimbabwe Parliamentand how it ends up being over shadowed by the Politburo . This wasafter noting that the de-facto one party state system did notencourage debate nor accountability and that the parliament did notplay its oversight role effectively . This was guided by a studytour to the COSATU’s Parliament Office which is based inCapetown .The report’s objectives were adopted as follows

Legal Framework & Structure

Noting that the parliament is there to make laws and policies for the state and putin place the necessary mechanisms for their enforcement or implementation

o Objectives of the Parliament Office Represent ZCTU Interests Participate in policy formulation and legislation Assist in developing joint programmes Assist affiliates in engaging relevant Gvt.

Ministries or Agents Facilitate development of policy proposals Facilitate development of National framework for use

by geographic structures and local authorities Facilitate Lobbying and advocacy programmes with

local civic groups and international community Identify strategic committees.

GUIDELINES TO OPERATIONS OF THE OFFICE(PO)

The creation of the PO is not a legal requirement in theconstitution or any Parliament enactment, but a responds tothe needs of the labour movement to always have technicalbacking and support for its vision and mission in asustainable way? .

13

Workers

De-Industrialisation , company closures,

mergers and takeovers a threat to existance of the

TU

Trade Union Leaders faced with the

obligation to uphold ILO tenetsand ITUC principles and guidelines for TU effectiveness.

Bargaining Power of Workers reduced by economic crisis and environment , Trade

Union space shrinking , weak

collective bargaining platfroms

A huge informal economy composed of an aging population anrequiring

reskillingd and redeployment as well as a young labourforce which are largerly no unionised

Continued labour exploitation by

corporate businesse through unfair trade

agreements

The PO feeds directly into policy and from policy andformulates strategies for policy

The issue of ideology formed the basis which drove the visionand the objectives of the office and that became the appendageof any activity implemented thereafter.

The PO functions as the torch bearer and translates theideology into workers interest and mainstream strategically,activities that knit the workers movement with the rest of theCSOs. & Political Parties .

The PO works to create the powerbase for the relationship withCSOs & the church which will lead to drive the masses in a bidto establish a socialist system of government throughdemocratic participatory methods.

The PO guides the programmes targeting the rank and file andthe community to achieve ZCTU objectives and the overallPolitical Vision of the Workers .

PO lobbies parliamentarians to support policies , bills andprogrammes for the benefit of the workers .

The PO works with a clear method of picking issues,identifying targets , establishing a tracking process andidentifying the root cause , researching on remedies and hencelinks with local and international partners.

The PO drafted a collaborative strategy to engage with Policy, Affiliates Associates and other geographic structures .

The PO assists in the developing and documenting of policypositions on each strategic portfolio, to be used foradvocacy work

Thus in 2009 the ZCTU then established the parliamentary affairsdepartment as a follow through of the 5th & 6th Congress

14

resolutions . which has the Solidarity Centre as the main funder.The department came into being during the time when we had a hungparliament , the odd government of National Unity and when therewas so much expectation and mistrust. Whereas the MDC had majorityin parliament , they failed to assert their positions in parliamentdue to power dynamics . The Executive, including the GPA principals,maintained control of parliament proceedings and the whipping systemfor both parties determined what motions to be tabled beforeparliament and who to address . Thus there were very little gainsfor the workers and the electorate in general as the parliamentcarried forth the whims of its masters and the aspect of separationof powers disappeared

It was not all gloomy for the workers as the ZCTU did manage to hosttwo advocacy forums with parliament portfolio committees , 8sessions with various committees to present the “Beyond the Enclave”programme with assistance of ANSA. They also met with the Portfoliocommittees to garner for support on legislation of the TNF , LabourLaw Reform and Social Security Reform , Decent Work Agenda and theneed for Transformative Transitional Justice.

They further took part in 13 Parliament public enquiries whichincluded the aspects of Energy , Budget , Human Rights Bill (Whichended in violence in a lot of places) The tight control by theExecutive was evident in that the ultimate promulgations byparliament where always referred to the principals for endorsementor rejection. Parliamentary sitting to hear committee reports andoutcomes of public enquiries would be determined by the principals .The Cabinet was another avenue which the ZCTU was able to take theworkers’ issues through the Minister of Labour, “The legislationof the TNF and the implementation of the ILO Commission of Enquiry”.This platform meets every Tuesday and is chaired by the President .This has tended to be more powerful than the parliament by virtueof the fact that it can establish and pronounce policy which theCabinet (Ministers) are more ready to implement . This varies withthe parliament which awaits the adoption of the committee report ormotion by the main parliament which then makes recommendations tothe Minister for implementation.

15

7.Policy and Parliament engagement Framework

8.SADC Model for Democratic ParliamentArticle 5 of the SADC treaty has the following four objectives among its 11 objectives.

Promote sustainable and equitable growth Promote common political value systems which are democratic,

legitimate and effective Consolidate and defend and maintain democracy, peace,

security and stability Promote and maximise productive employment

In 2003 the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan wasadopted which also had the following as recommended reforms for SADCparliaments ;

16

Cabinet TNFPresid

ent

SADC & AU UN & ILO

ParliamentConstitutenciesAgenci

es

PPCZCTU &Affiliates

Other Stake holders

The need:

To recognise opposition and shadow cabinet ministers To create opportunities for debate and private member’s bill To reduce use of party whip to party political issues so that

it does not apply to developmental and issues of nationalinterest

To be independent in all aspects including finance To get live broadcasts of all parliament debate To link increase of allowance to performance of the economy

and improvement of livelihood

9.Constitutional provisions Chapter 6 of the Zimbabwe Constitution section 116- 154 in which there are aspects which confirms the role of the parliament and also how its independence is undermined by the need to refer to thestanding orders committee which is composed of the executive plus. This makes it difficult for any reform process to take place due to a lot of power play .

10. The Guided Interview Questionnaire

The Topic

Perspective of the Trade Union policy and parliamentengagement during Seventh Parliament and the

recommendations and suggestions for future strategiesfor engagement

Section A

Name ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Union ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Position in the Union…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Position in the ZCTU…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

17

Section B

1. Is there appreciation within your union /sector of the need forpolicy and parliament engagement

2. Do you have motions/amendment to Act, Bill proposals that have beensubmitted for consideration? Yes /No

3. If yes which of the following platforms have been used a. NECb. Ministryc. Member of Parliamentd. Parliament Information Centrese. Parliament Portifolio Committeef. Parliament Public Enquiryg. One on one with a politicianh. GUFsi. Regional & International Lobbying

4. Would you say that there was an elaborate lobbying and advocacyaround the issues

5. What challenges as well gaps that you can sight in the lobbying adadvocacy efforts by labour

6. Ranking the ZCTU outstanding issues for Lobbying and Advocacy a. Conducive environment for Collective Bargainingb. Gender sensitive policiesc. Good governance and Democracyd. ILO Commission of enquiry – implementation of the 7

recommendationse. Kadoma Declaration implementationf. Labour Law reformg. Respect and recognition of workers and trade union rights h. Poverty Reduction focused and gender sensitive budgets i. Skills development and improvementj. Social Protection Floor and Social security systems that

responsive & redistributivek. Social and economic reform –Pro-poor policiesl. Zimbabwe Decent Work Country Programmem. Transformative transitional justice

7. What recommendation and suggestion for strategies can you proffer toimprove our lobbying as labour

a. --------b. ---------c. --------d. ---------e. ----------f. ------------g. -----------h. -------------

8. What specific skills do we require a. ---------b. ----------

18

c. -----------d. ------------e. ------------f. --------------g. -----------h. ------------------

9. What specific issues would you recommend for lobbying and advocacy a. ------b. ----------

10. What would you like to say to ZCTU Leadership

Would establishment of policy dialogue platforms help the cause ofthe Trade Union Movement

11. FINDINGSPlatforms used for policy and parliament engagement

Lobbying Platform Used by Unions

N.E.C.

Ministry/Gvt Agent

PPC MP PPE P R & I Total

Quantities

25 12 7 2 3 5 54

Percentage/31 union

81% 39% 22% 7% 10% 0% 16%

Percentage of Lobbying effort

46% 22% 13% 4% 6% 0% 9% 100%

19

NEC; 25

Min /

Govt Agent; 12

PPC; 7

MP; 2

PPE; 3 R&I; 5

Trade Union Policy and Parliament Engagement Pattern

NECMin / Govt AgentPPCMPPPEPR&I

The survey established that at least 80% of the unions have anN.E.C. or some sort of bilateral arrangement operating within thesector and in some instances there has been arrangements to engagethe government as social partners either to challenge a policyposition or work out strategies for the sector on issues affectingworkers . Only 12 affiliates indicated that they have met with aMinister and the figures dwindled when it came to parliamentengagement, to the extend that non of the respondents indicatedthat they had ever done one on one lobbyin with an MP orcouncillor . It must be noted that although one on one lobbying isbeing done at national level level by the ZCTU leadership anumberof the unions are not yet using it as a means of engaging thegovernment or policy makers. The Southern Africa Parliament Supporttrust which is running a programme in conjuction with SADC to reformSouthern African Parliaments stated that there is fewer civicsociety organisations or activists engaging directly withpoliticians in Zimbabwe. Some of the reasons given were that thepolitical environment in the last parliament was fragile and evennow people fear to be identified with whichever party. TheParliamentarians from the previous 7th sitting stated that most ofthe trade unionists approached the portfolio committee like anegotiation platorm and asummed that legislators are conversant with

20

their issues and have solutions up their sleeve.Stating thatbasically the MP/Legislature is there to observe and directgovernment performance and has exclusive authority to the NationalBudget . The other facts to remember is that there is always powerplay between political parties , within the parties themselves andamongst individuals yet it is paramount to have them buy your caseand take it up for debate. So the trade unions must learn the art oftabling facts, plus power to ensure that results are achieved .

46%

22%

13%

4%6% 9%

Trade Union Policy and Parliament Engagement Pattern

NECMin / Govt AgentPPCMPPPEPR&I

The results also confirmed that unions in total, spend more timein internal haggling than external, which is where the opposingforce can be found. All the issues that the ZCTU has tabled withsocial partners have been termed as and 70% respondentsacknowledged that they are essential and so did not think it wasnecessary to rank them. When it came to these issues the tradeunion is sensitive and guards its positions jealously. However thelamentation was that there are very small changes beyond agreementsand that there is need to scale up advocacy and lobbying for the

21

trade unions to remain visible and relevant. The list presented inthe questionnaire was only a representative sample even and the dataprovided indicates that 68% of our lobbying efforts is within thelabour market framework of social partners. We cannot get thecommunities or the ordinary person to identify with the issuesparticularly at sector level. This may mean having a strategy tocommunicate the issues to all stake holders, particularly if workersare to have an upper hand in the power game. The SAPST survey alsoindicated that the Parliament Public Enquiries they funded under the7th parliament were poorly attended most of the time . They onlybecame popular when it came to issues to do with the Human RightsBill where the political parties dominated the debate and shuteveryone out by at times becoming violent .

i. Cement & Lime Workers Union of ZimbabweGeneral Secretary Mr. Sibanda

Deputy General Secretary Mr. Samuriwo

Collective Bargaining Scenario

While the industry is expanding it has three main supplierswho are Portland Holdings , Lafarge and SINO Zimbabwe. Theother alliance members who have their own NEC are G. Prockwhich distributes gypsum and Turnall Zimbabwe. These arebasically users of by-products of the main industry .Generally speaking the industry has poor health conditions andhours of work vary from 7.5. hours per shift to 8.5 hours .The collective bargaining outcomes are normally settledthrough arbitration and in most cases employers are notorganised.

Issues for Lobbying and Advocacy

The look east policy is a threat to the industry as there arecheap supplies coming through Zambia and Pakistan, competingwith local produce. The Chinese are normally difficult tonegotiate with because in most cases the management operateswith limited mandates

22

Indigenisation is also another policy which requires labour toadvocate around. Essentially it is not a clear policy and isbeing dealt with in a predatory nature . The government hasnot been clear to the workers as to what is indigenous andwho is to benefit and how .

In most cases when trade agreements that are signed by ourgovernments or when companies change ownership, the workersare not involved and sometimes they lose their benefits or thejobs. In other instances new owners come with new machinerywhich has causing retrenchments .This was the case for exampleat certain company where this resulted in reduction of thework force from 500 To 175 employees. This normally happenswhen workers are least prepared and sometimes the when supportsystems cannot sustain such shocks.

We therefore need to incorporate the Human Rights Commissionand the Parliament to commission studies on these issues inall sectors.

Recommendation

It is important for the workers to have regular sector basedcaucus meetings on issues affecting workers so that we haveunited voices in solidarity with one another

We must approach the respective ministers to inform them aboutthe continued attack on the workers

Nationally we need to strive to establish a united front byhaving an annual collective bargaining conference wheredifferent sectors highlight their issues

ii. Commercial Workers UnionDeputy /Assistant General Secretary E. Chamunogwa


The commercial sector is very wide and incorporates retail,wholesale, jewellery, funeral undertakers, cleaning services,freight forwarding, oil distribution, advertising and so manyother atypical jobs mushrooming due to changes in theenvironment. The majority of the workers in this sector are

23

contract workers and there are some within the sector whohave established their own independent unions like theinsurance companies thereby weakening the collectivebargaining power of the sector .

Issues for lobbying and advocacy

The sector has been severely penetrated by migrant workersand operators, who are Indians, Chinese , West Africanswho occupy a good part of the central business districts .The informal economy is also huge, ranging from vendors ,flea markets , air time vendors , which causes problems whenit comes to organising them or trying to make that form ofemployment decent.

A lot of the legal instruments affect this sector directlyor indirectly, like the ZBC Act which requires that alicense be purchased before purchase of a television, Localauthorities bi-laws or the ZIMRA requirements. Most ofthese statutes are biased against the workers as sometimeswhen the revenue is collected there is no trickledown effectand the unions are the first to suffer .

There is also a lot of corruption within this sector due tothe fact that it is overpopulated and roughness and opaquesystems are dominant. Ownership of most of the operationsmaybe linked to some powerful people hence it becomesdifficult to instil discipline and order and thus establishwell organised unions . At the end of the day it is theZimbabwean worker who suffers while the foreignersrepartriaterepatriate their profits .

Recommendations

It is necessary to improve consciousness of the workersand the working class on their rights in a manner whichtakes all the workers on board so that we shift theirideology to that of labour

The trade union movement needs to reclaim the value ofworkers and therefore mobilise them so that they becomeunited .

The leadership at all levels must appreciate that the powerof the union is with the workers and so must work onconflict management in a manner which brings unity anddemonstrates tolerance. If we are united the capitalistcannot beat us because we are many and when we call foraction we should be able to fill the streets.

24

iii. Federation of Food Workers Union of ZimbabwePresident of the FFWUZ Mr. Paul Chapisa


In the food industry collective bargaining has been reduced toa collective begging, where companies close withoutconcluding on workers issues .They change ownership and soescape accounting for statutory obligations . If there is adeadlock, which is normaly the case, the employers will notconsent to go for arbitration and so will create a state oflawlessness which renders every process of seeking redressuseless. Consequently workers are losing confidence in thetrade union.


The indigenisation policy has truly destroyed ourindustry. When the employer changes face and wears theempowerment jacket we can go to the courts , to theparliament and everywhere but it is difficult to wincases even when it is clear that there has been unfairlabour practise.

The fact that workers are not accommodated means that wewill always be the victim of bad policies . In othercases we end up with banks (creditors) running thecompany . We are made to understand that banks are notincluded in the indigenisation process but they play akey role in the process by providing credit which thenties down our employment. This confusion in the policiesrequires us to seek to be more informed about ourpolicies before we strategize.

The agrarian reform greatly affected the industryparticularly the baking industry as now we have to importwheat . This has resulted in the need to change thesystems within the industry as well as increasing thecost of production . It would have been our wish toensure that the agriculture activities which sustainindustries be made to be viable

Recommendations

25

We need to study these policies and laws which areaffecting us directly and indirectly and we must educateall workers in the language they understand so that wecan confront policy makers with more confidence.

We must fight to make sure that workers are representedeverywhere where their welfare is being discussed andput into action Nothing About us without us . This willhelp close the gaps caused by splinters which arepolitically aligned as well as the yellow unions . Whenworkers issues are tabled in their naked form we cannotbe divided .

iv. General Agriculture Plantation Workers Union ofZimbabweMr. Gift Muti General Secretary

This sector basically coves the agriculture , forestry , agro and horticulture


The collective bargaining machinery is highly polarised inthis sector . This is due to the fact that the unconcludedland issue was mostly targeting this sector and the workersbecame victims . When they tried to protect their jobs theywere viewed as detractors of a process meant to benefit blackZimbabweans and were treated as such . they were thereforenot beneficiaries as they were deemed to be mostly migrantworkers . There are now several ministries like the Ministryof Land , Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of RuralResettlement and Ministry of Local government whoseactivities affect the plight of the farm workers. Due to thefact that it used to be the largest employer as a sector itnow has a lot of unregistered splinter unions which are ZANUPF linked . This has reduced the NEC into a political platformas the GAPWUZ is perceived as part of the MDC . While advocacyand lobbying has taken place with partners and the Ministersthe union has been suffering from attitude of the respectiveministries and so the union believes that other affiliatesmay suffer the same under this environment. This calls for the

26

mother body to quickly come up with a political strategy,which will give the organisation’s political direction andprepare unions for any future attacks . The trade unionmovement needs to shift the situation around so that it goesback to being on the offensive .

Gaps with ZCTU Advocacy Strategy

Sectorally aligned issues to be brought to the foe sothat all affiliates and workers structures can act insolidarity

There is need for proper coordination and clearcommunication.

ZCTU must establish a new strategic direction which helpsclean the stigma that we are MDC.

There is a new approach to organising skills which mustmatch the casualization of labour and contract workers

Because too many changes are happening at a fast pace, weneed to caucus more often even to be hosted by theaffected union so that we are always together in ourthinking , speaking and acting . The education systemhas become bad and the road networks are poor even forpublic transport.

There is the SI371 which was gazetted in 2000 but isdifficult to implement practically .

Recommendations

Generally the health situation in the farming sector isdeplorable and calls for urgent intervention . This is sobecause there are few operational clinics and the provincialhospitals are normally far.

v. National Energy Workers Union of Zimbabwe General Secretary Mr. Masvingwe


The union covers workers in the energy sector in Zimbabwe which ismostly composed of parastatals. The major setback of the CB is thefact that the union is affected by too much government interference

27

and subsequent anti –union attack. The most painful memory is whenthe Minster of Energy ordered an agreement not to be implemented in2012 even though it had been gazetted . The Minister in fact misusedhis powers to redirect parties to negotiate. This attitude by theminister is also echoed by the Finance Minister who is constantlycalling for labour market flexibility which can lead to fragmentationof the unions.


The Indigenisation policy and subsequent act is a foggyinstrument which has not been clear to all workers includinggovernment workers. It seems that if we talk of shareownership schemes only workers from private and foreign ownedcompanies will benefit. For parastatals where the government isthe only shareholder what will we get and more so for civilservants and so on the army and the police . The gaps are toomany and there is lack of clarity as to its implementationand provisions .

The Look East policy which also brought forth pre-paid metersin the sector , power generation has created a conduciveenvironment for de-industrialisation and contributed immenselyin job losses . Countries manufacturing these instruments haveobviously increase in employment. Yet the power generators arenoisy and damage our ears.

Casualisation of labour in this sector has become rampant .Majority of the workers are now on 3 months contracts whichare renewable and as a result are not paid certain benefitslike medical aid and pension. Basically the decency in work isbeing eroded every day

Our safety conditions have deteriorated to dangerous levelsand we have lost a lot of competent staff to the diaspora.

Employers are threatening to desert the NEC for energy to goto engineering following lower minimum wages in that setor.

Recommendations

ZCTU must engage with a view annihilate the classcapitalist concept

There is need to have a tolerant approach which takesinto account divergent views

There is need for us to meet annually at a conferencewhere unions have ownership and we share and express allthings affecting out sectors and structures and we comeup with wholesome strategies for success.

The Trade Union leaders need capacity building skills inintelligentsia management and dealing with perceptionsand work towards creating a class movement that isresponsive to its structures

28

We should stop relying on politicians to fight ourstruggle because workers are the political force . Weshould not be seen to be protecting the system which isundermining workers .

Every day we should be attacking anything that isaffecting the worker and so work on visibility . Thus wemust go back to the drawing board and put ourselvesideologically right.

There is a danger that the labour movement may be caughtin a analysis paralysis

vi. National Engineering Workers Union of ZimbabweDeputy General Secretary Mr. Mashinge


The union was formed in 1984 and covers the engineering, iron andsteel industries .The biggest operators in this sector areSandwick , Monarch and Kango Alminium. The sector has a potentialof 12 000 membership against the 8000 that are unionised. There isonly one splinter within the sector which is called GIMSAWU althoughit does not sit at the negotiating table at the N.E.C. The unionnotes that the biggest problem is negotiation in bad faith on theemployer part. They over lament the poor environment and the countryrisk factors such that most of them abuse the provision withinCollective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to seek for exemption. The endresult is that sometimes workers may not see the need to waitexpectantly for negotiations if employers are quick to seekexemption.

Issues for Advocacy

The key ministries need to be challenged on the aspect ofindigenisation and look east policy. There are alwayscontradictions in their statement which has caused theindustry to lose confidence. As a result so many jobs are lostand we increase the number of poor people. As a poor countrywe cannot afford to choose friends and we are not involved inany global war so we must look everywhere. But the analysisshould go further to find out to what extend people’s live areimproving both in electrical engineering , mechanical andcivil.

29

Our members are suffering from the high cost of living whichhas made basics like transport, accommodation and access tohealth services unaffordable. Sometimes they end up joiningcooperatives which are dubious and they are cheated of theirsmall monies. The cost of medication is now beyond the reachof the ordinary workers this includes the cost of educationfor their children and they also complain of poor servicedelivery in the communities where they live. If the unionfails to achieve these aspects for them, the union will loserelevance .

The occupational health and safety issues have lost meaning inthe current working environment. The look east policy hasbrought in things that are not standardised. At the same timea lot of machines have not been replaced since the 1950s. Thishas put a lot of workers at risk. But also as trade unions wehave not been able to prepare our systems in terms of ensuringthat there is improvement. The unions need to be encouraged intaking health issues more serious and at the same time weshould be able to monitor the transfer of technology ,replacement and servicing of machines.

There is now a huge informal economy but as unions we have noclue as to how to deal with them. In the engineering sectorthey are operating dangerously and sometimes they are victimsof violence. The challenge is whether the trade union hasprepared itself to become the home of every worker. We aremindful of the fact that capital is benefitting from informaleconomy. They outsource jobs and get supplies which they getat cheap prices. It has to be part of our strategic planninggoing forward ,on how to strengthen the labour movement forthe benefit of everyone.

Recommendations

The ZCTU has always been a torch bearer on developmentalissues. We have the” Beyond the Enclave” but now we need totable things that are affecting the life of the worker so thatthey see the necessity of the union. The days to ride on oldstories are over because the workers are in a desperate state.

Trade unions win with numbers. We need to scale up ourorganising and communication in a way which keeps members andmembers excited about the union. We cannot rely on publicmedia because it wants to cover us on political issues. So we

30

need strategies to grow our membership and representationcapacities as well keep those people informed about the goingson.

We need an ILO case against the employers who are notremitting subscriptions. Going to the courts on our own is notgood enough because our operations are being affected. Even ifwe eventually get the money but sometimes a lot of damage willhave been done on union work. Some employers we discover whenemployees leave, that that their statutory obligations likepension and insurance covers are not redeemable because theemployers sometimes do not honour their obligations.

There are many companies changing hands or merging with othersoperating in the region or globally. This also causesprotracted negotiations . While capital can move with easebetween countries we need to improve our communicationnationally and regionally so that we can know where to applypressure. One company may have a bad name but it can hidebehind others with good names .

If the economic challenges become too big for members can theunion find a way to intervene?

vii. National Mine Workers Union Mr. Sylvester Mushaike General Secretary

Collective bargaining scenario

The mining sector has been heavily polarised and is heavily controlled by the Ministry of Mines . In a lot of cases the workers are at the mercy of the management such that a mine can close business as was the case in Gweru where an Italian owned mine just closed and the management team disappeared . Following up a lot of such cases is normally difficult and expensive . The insecure environment has made investors have an attitude of making quick dollar and then disappearing and the communities and workers are the victims . This is a situation with all foreign investors like Chinese as well as Indians . Safety regulations are often ignore.??? and suffers from disturbances during recruitment????? . When they say the mining sector is going to save the economy it is basically at the expense of the worker.


31

There is need to quickly advocate for alignment of thelaws with the new constitution particularly where socialissues like education and health are concerned

The government is currently negotiating with investorswhen there has not been any geological survey todetermine the life of the mine and the related minerals

There is also lack of transparencny on the contributionby the mining sector to the economy even in terms ofsalaries and wages .

The Mines and Minerals Act which governs this countrywas made in 1961 which means that it is no-longerrelevant in some areas

In the structures of Minerals Marketing and MMCZ theworkers are not represented and hence we are alwaysshort changed .

Recommendations

If the government is saying the mining and the tourismsector are important in turning around this economy weshould be researching on how these sectors can benefitthe worker. And scrutinise deals being signed becausethat is where we are short changed

32

viii. National Union of Clothing General Secretary Mr. Tanyanyiwa


The clothing sector unions are some of the oldest and usedto be the biggest at some point. Over the past 20 or so yearsthe clothing industry has suffered through introduction ofnew laws , introduction of Small scale operators at the NECas well as emerging splinter unions who have reducedcollective bargaining to power play game. When the negotiatorsreach an agreement the small scale operators always seekexemption . Organised labour is fast shrinking such that ifwe do not change our strategies fast, we will becomeirrelevant. The informal economy and the migrant workers havefound it easy to invest in this sector through retailing whichhas affected the big industries so there are no decent jobsbeing created . These operators, because of the uncertainenvironment, do not make long term investment so there fewjobs created, that are there are insecure.


We have become the dumping ground of second hand clothes andAsian merchants which provided unfair competition for localmanufacturers.

The following companies closed down and consequently jobs werelost by 2008

Company Jobs Lost1 Archer 25002 Mat Clothing 15003 Winfields 30004 Continental Fashions 20005 Chicago EPZ 4000

33

There are also semi informal operators like the WestAfrican traders who are only providing retailing andmerchandise and so kill our manufacturing sector . Weneed therefore to lobby for the laws that are pro-poorand attack anything that is a threat to the workers.These traders also do not care for our cities and thewelfare of the communities so when they will go back tocounries of oring but our towns and jobs will bedestroyed .

The indigenisation has brought a new breed of employerswho think workers are a pest, when they demand decentwages and working conditions . The politics of thecountry has created a crisis of expectation and so it isvery easy to organise mass unrest . The association ofIndigenous Clothing Manufacturers is in itself poorlymanaged but only wakes up when we reach an agreementand they oppose it and even seek political interference.This means that we cannot rely on politicians to fightour battle .

Recommendations

We need to establish a parliament or policy monitoringgroup which will fight the issues at local and nationallevels . Unions can second these people and when workershear us addressing issues that affect them then they willbe happy to be mobilised around those same issues.

We should take our struggles to the regional andinternational platforms in solidarity, because the worldover society looks up to the workers for guidance . If weabandon the role of being proactive we become neutralised

We need to continue to be torch bearers . Currently ourrelationships are perforated and we need to work hardagainst that which divides us

Political issues are going to require regular updates andwe need to activate the regional structures to deal withthe geo political issues. We have six branches andregional executives which are a vital cog in thepolitics of the country and are often abused bypoliticians . We should make that machinery to work forthe benefit of the worker .

34

ix. NUMAIZMr. Tarumbira General Secretary

Mr. Dhliwayo Deputy General Secretary

Collective bargaining Scenario

The sector includes Ferro Alloys, Iron & Steel, Electronics,Automotive Car assembly and Car manufacturing. Howevermanufacturing is no longer favourable in the sector asZimbabwe is now a warehouse industry. The big operators areWillowvale Mazda, Quest, AVM . This is the sector that hasexported most of the jobs to Asia. Ferro alloys are exportingraw chrome mostly to China and apparently most companies inthis sector are facing liquidation. In the electronic sectorwe had WRS, Supersonic and Phillips which are no longermanufacturing. These used to employ 4000-6000 and the last ofthese companies closed in 2011. The automotive sector is nowdominated by repairing of cars and that is where the informaleconomy is . The NEC certified in 2012 that that the sectorhas lost more than 12 000 between 2001 and 2011 as the economycaught on the 2nd Japanese cars flue.

It is also difficult to protect the industry because our carsare too expensive. Our operation system is not automised,therefore not efficient .Iron and steel used to employ morethan 6000 and now has below 3000 and downstream companies arenow exporting, like Lancashire Steel. Consequently thecollective bargaining platform has been looking at justsalaries and no other issues. Iron and Steel has not had a CBAsince 2008 and so they pay what they want. The electronicssector had a deadlock in 2013 which is before the labour courtand the MV has not had an agreement since 2009 and even thatagreement has not yet been gazetted.

Issues for Lobbying & Advocacy

35

The Ministry of Labour sometimes operates in an unethicalmanner when it comes to registering unions. When theunions merged it was a mammoth process to register NUMAIZyet it is easy for them to register splinter unions. Infact the government seemed to be discouraging the merger.We should therefore have a strategy targeting Ministry ofLabour encouraging it to maintain neutrality.

There are trade agreements that are affecting this sectorwhich were done without consultation of the workers butnow are affecting the lives of the workers. The ZISCOSteel ESSAR deal is still outstanding and children’slives are being affected.

A lot of the policies being pronounced likeindigenisation are with bottlenecks and are benefittingindividuals. As workers we need to make noise about that.At the same time we need to assess the trade agreementsaffecting our sectors so that we know who the real enemyis. People are getting kickbacks and agreeing to baddeals without caring who is affected.

We need to lobby our NECs to establish lobbying andAdvocacy desks which will work sustainably to lobby onissues that affect our sectors .The union teamed up withemployers to encourage parliamentarians to purchase theirvehicles from the Willowvale Mazda so that they couldsave jobs. The response was an arrogant attitude throughthe Speaker of parliament.

Generally we should have universal strategy which willtarget every ministry and expose how this government isfailing the workers

Recommendations

We need to scale up bilateral engagements with the EMCOZon key policy issues so that we both can confront thegovernment particularly on issues of national interestlike the Kadoma declaration.

We also need to extend our lobbying to constituentsthrough our locals. This will call for reorganising of

36

our structure and make sure that we have a local wherethere are constituencies. We can spread our visibilitythrough ZCIEA and ensure that local issues arearticulated.

Political parties have failed us ZPF, ZAPU & MDC. We mustremember that as workers we have no permanent friends butpermanent interest. Therefore our ideological focus mustcome out clear in all our messages and on bread andbutter issues as well as community and developmentalissues.

There is an anti-union campaign being led by theemployers particularly when we fail to reach PDL. At thesame time employers are refusing to deduct union duessince December 2012, which will result with crippling theunion in terms of service delivery.

There is a need to campaign for strengthening of theunion. We have been strong on legal front but poor onlobbying and advocacy

We need to be more innovative and provide more serviceswhich meet the social and economic needs of members thenwe will remain strong

x. Zimbabwe Transport and General Workers Union

Mr. Matanhire General Secretary


The sector covers haulage, buses, taxis . Collective bargainingused to be quarterly but is bloated with deadlocks and employersare adamant to even compromise on their profits. They spend moremoney on tactics to destroy the union which they succeed by notremitting subscriptions. The businesses operating in this sectorare KK, Pioneer, ZUPCO, SWIFT, City Link, BH, Biltrans, and CargoCarriers. The government has been contributing to weakening ofcollective bargaining power by registering a lot of splinters.Only one was denied registration which is called ZINTU.


The union pointed out that some issues for advocacy areinternal, meaning that their target there should be astrategy targeting affiliates and the workers. We arefailing to collect subscriptions in this difficult time. We

37

therefore need to think beyond what we are used to so thatthe labour movement is not crippled. The government and theemployer, both know that without money, unions will notfunction. The ZCTU must establish a think tank which workson the sustainability of unions otherwise trade unionismwill die a natural death.

We also need assistance in organising. Our sector also has alot of mini buses acting as taxis. These are not organisedin any manner. They are not formal but they are also notinformal because they are registered with Ministry ofTransport. Some of them are owned by the big people andeven police officers. If we managed to organise themgeographically ,that would grow our unions; but what do wehave to offer them.

We can also lobby the government, particularly ministry oftransport to be provided more with clarity on licencedoperators and their accountability. This includes lobbyingthat the registered minibus operators be educated in ethics,standards and health and safety issues.

Recommendations

The look east policy has affected the sector in that some ofthe vehicles are not suitable for our roads and need to beconstantly replaces. We therefore see companies with newcoaches but which only move on good roads. While companieshave been able to replace the vehicles the workers’ salariesand working conditions have not improved.

There has been a merger and take overs that have beenhappening in the sector for example SWIFT and Pioneer. Whenthere is a labour dispute the reporting systems are alwayschanging and time is wasted trying to understandcommunication channels when workers are suffering. There aremore companies in the haulage that have their headquarterswhich are outside the country? It Is therefore necessary toteam up as a sectoral regional body so that we close allloopholes

xi. Public Service AssociationMr. Tichareva General Secretary

38


The association is composed of 5 associations which representsectors from the government. Our collective bargaining isthrough the Apex Council which we hope will change, in linewith the new constitutional provisions. It is also necessaryto add that civil servants have been victims of representativebiases where on one side political parties view them,particularly when they are in power as the opposition becausemost new parties are visible in the urban areas where you havea majority of civil servants. Then the opposition parties orother civic society members view us as government agents andtherefore for the ruling party. This means that when wenegotiate these aspects are hounding the negotiating platform.Then there are other laws which limit our participation inpolicy engagement which however can be established wants wehave a proper negotiating platform.

Issues for lobbying and Advocacy

There is need to demonstrate that trade unionism has moreto offer than politics. This can be done throughfurthering the democratic consultation and providing avoice for the margianlised at every forum. This meansthat we need to grow the trade union geographically. Thiscan be done through programmes to educate people aboutthe constitution and highlighting the workers’ rights.

We need to scale up advocacy on separation of thepolitical parties from government structures. All the keyarms of government are independent structures whichoperate without interference from political parties.Sometimes this interferes with our worker as civilservants and exposes us.

It is important to engage with processes which come withforeign development partners which sometimes lead toreform which the system is not ready to accommodate. Thisis so with some programs which come with the World Bankand the IMF, or even the ADB. In a lot of times theordinary worker is left out of these processes and we areclosed out yet we are expected to be active implementingagents. There is need to advocate for less secretiveapproaches particularly on public issues.

It is our wish if fellow trade unionist could view us asbrothers and not always with a lens of informers

39

Recommendations

The government worker is in a quagmire where they areclaimed by politicians and their issues are alwayspoliticised .This means that the environment is stillfragile and is difficult for people to generateconfidence with the system. There is a lot of awarenessraising which workers in the government require. Theyalso need a lot of networking and mingling with otherstructures so that their confidence grows

When all agreements are done be it at the TNF,parliament, international or political there is agovernment worker involved. This means that we are asource of information and knowledge about the systems. Ifwe do not work closely together we will not be able toraise the necessary alarms or provide timeousinformation. If we can be informers for the governmentwhy can we not be informers for the good of the workers,without necessarily playing a front position. The workersin government are the cornerstone for elimination ofcorruption.

There is a lot of public sector reform going on, some ofit comes through foreign development partners. Sometimesaffecting the workers and their working conditions.Instead of seeming to help government to come up withpolicy which is good ,we also must be responsive toworkers and the working conditions, particularly whichare brought by the changes proposed.

xii. Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railway Workers UnionSecretary General Mr. G. Shoko

Deputy General Secretary Mr. Nhemachena


This is possibly one of the oldest unions in Zimbabwe whichwas formed around 1922 and now has an affiliation of about4000 members out of a potential of 7000. The union also hasbranches all over the country almost in every part which hasa train station. Despite this level of unionisation theorganisation has suffered setback as a result of the economiccrisis where it has lost members who migrated in search of

40

greener pastures and in the process lost some trained cadres.Due to poor capitalisation the workers in the sector havesometimes gone for as long as eight months without salariesand there have been non remittance of subscriptions to theunion. This has curtailed the union’s capacities to servicemembers . The employer is a state owned enterprise.This hasaffected the union adversely due to the fact that it providedleadership(Vice-President) which went to form the onlystrong opposition party in the country . This has made itdifficult for the orgsanisation’s concerns to be takenseriously by the government (The employer). It may be acliché’ but if members and workers see that you are doingsomething for them they will be happy to join the union, butif negotiations after negotiations yield results that are notimplemented then workers will not see the value of the union.

Issues for Advocacy

There is need to encourage government to implement theturnaround strategies and follow up on the progress made sofar.

There is need to lobby for a conducive environment for theindustry to thrive. The improvements in technology (ICT) andthe insecure environment have caused the sector to lose a lotof business.

The achievement of labour law reform is paramount for theimprovement of working conditions.

The level of appreciation of the working class education hasbeen depleted as a result of cadres who have migrated withinthe region as well as some who went into politics. It isnecessary to rekindle the spirit of the struggle throughmassive education programmes.

Recommendations

The ZCTU education programmes need to expand to include thepolitical communication and advocacy and lobbying skills

We need to go back to holding of labour forums within ourcommunities so as to keep our members and the general publicinformed about the happenings in politics, which affect theirlives.

41

Our organising strategies need to improve and also throughoutthe country the trade union movement can provide more serviceswhich reduce the hardships faced by our members.

The workers struggle is weakened by workers who leaveemployment due to retrenchments and migrant workers. We shouldhave a strategy to keep our members and when they go out ofthe country we facilitate their connection to unions in thatcountry. Sometimes workers end up fighting among themselvesand capital benefits from cheap labour.

xiii. Railway Association of Yard Operators

General Secretary Mr. Mazorodze


This union was formed on the 29th of November 2005 and is an offshoot of the ZARWU. It was formed with the main objective ofcatering for the specific needs of the workers in the operatingyards of the railways. Whiles it has a potential of 500 members, theunion has a membership of about 350. The union has also sufferedfrom non-implementation of agreements. Basically there are 4 unionswithin the railway sector and these caucus before negotiations andagree on one position. However there has been protractednegotiations and endless debate even on agreed positions. Sometimesthe workers feel that the negotiating platform has been reduced to atalk show. In most cases employers come unprepared for thenegotiations or they turn up without a mandate and so constantlyneed to go back to consult. Whiles negotiations raise the worker’sexpectation, they yield nothing in most cases. Safety issues areoften ignored at the negotiating table. The epmloyer’s equipment isold and out dated and this includes the locomotives, wagons and therailway line which has become obsolete.

Issues for Advocacy

The unclear policies like indigenisation and the “Look East”policies have affected business operations in the industry.These have resulted in adoption of mediocre management systems

42

and implementation of policies which are unsustainable. Forexample, when the government controls the prices of the usersof the services, this does not take into account the fact thatthere is need to meet operational costs or the need to improveon technology.

Generally speaking the level of the railway business hasgone down as a result of the shift to new technology and thedepressed economy. It is therefore necessary to lobby thegovernment to move from the myopic approach so that they canrestructure the sector in a way which makes it productive andcompetitive.

Recommendations

There is generally mistrust between the employers and theemployees. A lot of public relations and advocacy at highlevels needs to be done to encourage tolerance within thegovernment system.

The sector needs serious capitalisation for it to be able tonormalise operations .

xiv. Railway Artisans UnionSithokozile Siwela General Secretary

Vice President ZCTU


Within the railway sector, the unions have always been termed to bepolitical and sometimes rebuffed as opposition. Thus the governmentwho is also the employer has been playing on tactics to destroy theunions. Currently there are no remissions of subscriptions coming tounions and the Collective Bargaining Agreements are not respected.This puts the union in a difficult position where it needs tojustify to its following why they should continue being members.Within the sector, the workers sometimes spent 10 months without asalary and this undermines the union’s capacity to service members.Even after business improved, which the employer acknowledged ,there

43

was no effort to have that translated into salaries. The workingconditions have deteriorated to levels where workers have gone formore than two years with no replacement of safety clothing. Thetrains have also become dangerous. While the VID checks roadworthyvehicles, it will be necessary to have the railworthyness of thetrains to be ascertained. Generally the railway sector can be saidto be in survivalist mode.


Internally we need to deal with the perception that we arealigned or affiliated to the MDC. The Trade union body haspermanent interest and not permanent friends. Amongst ourmembers we have workers who belong to various parties and sowe should not be seen to be bootlicking a certain party. Thisrequires strategies which do not make us renege on ourpolitical obligations and still be able to sanitise ourselves.We also need to analyse if the political parties are behavingin manner which meets our needs and then take it from there.In the General Council we used to have ZAPU, ZANU and MDC soour political engagement should not be confused withsupporting a political party. The TUC in England did it aswell as the ZCTU Zambia.

We also need to improve on intelligence gathering so that allour efforts are well supported by the workers. The level ofworking class consciousness has gone low and the trade unionhas been demobilised. There is need to revisit our systems torekindle the fighting spirit

Externally we need to advocate for demilitarisation of theparastatals and polarisation within the labour market whichthen tend to interfere with the rights of workers. Workersshould not be afraid to join a particular trade union of theirchoice. At the same time some of the military persons beingseconded to parastatals will still be earning salaries fromthe army. We therefore need to conceptualise this problem inthe context of how it affects collective bargaining and thelivelihoods of the workers before we engage.

Recommendations

As a labour movement we need to engage with all politicalparties while we carry out other engagements with governmentstructures because we represent all workers.

We need a policy advocacy group which follows up on issuesonce presented to Heads of Parastatals , Ministers and othergovernment agents . Sometimes we do lots of good documents butthere is no feedback or follow through by the Government.

44

Trade union leaders need to be oriented on power dynamics ,policy and political analysis so that our engagement becomesmeaningful.

xv. Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers UnionMr. Peter Gift Mtasa General Secretary

(Vice President ZCTU )


The state is a contested space and the trade union must ensurethat it continues to play its role to claim that state for theworkers. It is also paramount to deal with specific issuesaffecting sectors , for example when there was an outcryagainst bank charges , the Ministry of Finance without anyconsultation went on to slash the charges and now banks havedifficulty in paying salaries . The parliament is window wheresuch public issues must be brought for debate and haveconsensus reached. The other aspects are the issue about theGovernor, capitalisation issues, bank charges, allegations ofprofiteering, huge bonuses for CEOs and banks placed undercuratorship which require public input.

Issues for Lobbying and advocacy

Victimisation of trade union leaders in the workerscommittees

The law on damages versus employment reinstatement whichis generally abused by employers and most of the time itshort changes the workers.

We need to advocate for restoration of confidence in theinterbank market. Currently banks are operating in silosand not willing to lend each other as they do not have afall-back position in the event that they have aliquidity mismatch. Thus banks are forced to maintainhigh liquidity buffers which increase banks’ operatingcosts and the cost of production. Exposure of such issueswill redirect attacks to the rotten systems than tolabour as has been the case.

Recommendations

45

Trade union body has a universal- 360 degree mandate tolook out for the worker and so we must expand ouradvocacy efforts to include Ministry of Economicdevelopment, Reserve Bank, ZIMRA, Zimbabwe InvestmentCentre, Ministry of Local Government and SMEs, ZIMDEVetc.

As a national centre we must have specific policyprogrammes which target issues like the Monetary Policy,Fiscal Policy and the Budget. These are used as an excuseto avoid collective bargaining and also these are thepolicies which have a direct impact on job security. Weneed to ensure that these institutes are worker orientedotherwise they will shift us from collective bargainingto issues of raising capital.

The indigenisation policy has challenges emanating fromlack of clarity. Investors are not confident of thisenvironment, for example the National Merchant Bank hasexhausted the 49 % foreign ownership but still needs toraise capital so the option is retrenchment.

The look east policy also had indirect impacts on thefinancial sector. The bottom line is that still allbusinesses in the country could not access off shoreloans neither could they get credit from the East tosustain the business. Instead, from the banking sector wewitnessed massive transfers by the Chinese in the fastmoving goods. This means that essentially we helped Chinaaccumulate the USD reserves in their country while wedestroyed our own industry as well as transferring jobsto the east.

The informal economy has grown to the extent that it hasbecome the economy. There is need for the trade union toshift its mind-set if we are to remain truerepresentatives of the working class. For example cash ofall kind is circulating outside the system and lots ofgoods we need are cheaper if we do not get them fromshops directly. What this means is that business is alsothriving from the informal sector and would continue tokeep them poor so that they do not pay proper taxes. Somebusiness relocates to other countries and our crossborders go there and purchase the things for sell whichcompete with the industry that remains. If we are notsmart there will be a war, poor people versus poorpeople.

Communication with our structures is necessary.Politicians are communicating to our constituencies moreeffectively than us. We need to do serious image branding

46

and establish means of protecting that brand. Thisincludes cleaning out of perceptions and restating ourpolitical position with a thunder. We need to use ourlabour forums and establish community based forums totake on board informal economy workers

xvi. Zimbabwe Catering & Hotel Workers UnionMr. Xumalo General Secretary


This sector caters mostly for the hotel industry, lodges andrestaurants. The sector has been under spotlight politically,as it is viewed as one of the essential drivers forrestoration of the economy. Its true performance is hiddenunder the media propaganda which seeks to highlight snap shotachievement like hosting of United Nations World TourismOrganisation in 2013. Generally the tourism industry hassuffered for a long time as it is directly affected by countryrisk factors, poor connectivity of local and internationaldestinations. The sector employment levels has been going downas most hotels now rely on students on attachment for theirlabour and when they release them they take on another bunch .The Ministry of Labour has also registered another NEC for theTourism sector which is also an attempt to weaken thecollective bargaining capacities of the workers in the sector.It has also become polarised in that government officials arenow running safaris and game parks which means that they havebecome government as well as employers. There have been veryfew foreign investors in this sector even the Chinese due touncertainty. It must however be noted that we have the privatesector employers who include the Portuguese, Greeks , Italians, Indians , middle east and West Africa .

Basically the sector is characterised by poor salaries andpoor working conditions. We believe that workers and the tradeunion is under siege and if we do manage to upturn thesituation we will become

47


First we need a thorough study of this sector to makepublic the actual dynamics of the types of jobs in thissector and the working conditions for the workers. Peopleare happy with seeing people in nice uniforms servingthem and yet their conditions are poor.

The effects of all these bad policies need to be pointedout so that the workers and those who are used againstother workers stand together. This refers to the hugereserve labour force which is the unemployed and thecolleges providing students on attachment.

Recommendations

The workers, that is the affiliates and the ZCTU we mustbe united and learn to stay together no matter what. Ourdisunity is victory for the enemy. When some are givennice things, trinkets they forget the others and willsacrifice the struggle. For us unity is very important

xvii. Zimbabwe Chemicals and Plastics Allied Workers Union

Mr. Chiware General Secretary


The sector includes the industrial chemicals manufacturers,the plastics, fertilizer, paints, ink, phosphates, battery,powercell and rubber industry. The collective bargaining hasbeen underpinned on the inflation and so the workers havealways been deficit spending units. Now the gap betweenmanagement and the workers has been getting wider and wider.We also now have more indigenous employers and some of whichare politicians. This calls for workers to rethink ourstrategies because the government is no longer the umpire butalso a player in productivity sector.

The chemical and plastics industry is one that will always bein demand because.Its linked to all sectors like agriculture,mining and manufacturing. Therefore whatever happens in anyof these sectors will always affect the collective bargaining.This means that both the Land issue, the indigenisationpolicies, bi-laws, trade agreements, health aspects and

48

standards association expectations impact on the sector. It isessential for us to have united positions because all thesesectors have unions and we should combine our forces and makesure that what we are advocating in our various negotiatingplatforms is common knowlegde. The sector has also beenaffected by cheap imports in cosmetics, industrial inputs andso on. We therefore need to gather information which linkswith all the negotiation issues.


The growth of the informal economy has hit the industrynegatively. While it has provided employment and placedfood on the table ,our standards have been severelycompromised and the treatment of waste has affected theenvironment.

The government policies have become confusing and theinterpretation sometimes varies with the politicalstatement ,if we take the environment policies , theindigenisation policies, the bi-laws and what needs tobe prioritised there is a gap

We also need to do the cost benefit analysis whichresults from such policies and disseminate thatinformation to everyone. If a lot of the people remainignorant

It is said that the current constitution is better for usbut unfortunately a lot of people have not had sight ofit neither are they aware of what it contains. The onusis on us to ensure that people are aware of their basicrights and tools with which they can demand and ensurethey enjoy those rights.

Recommendations

We need to come up with think tanks that deal withcluster challenges and which must have a link with theGeneral Council, the General Secretaries and the Regionalstructures. If we manage to coordinate that, our advocacymay succeed because the workers’ structures arefragmented.

xviii. Zimbabwe Construction Workers UnionMr. Mazarura General Secretary

Mrs Fozert Mugabe Assistant General Secretary

49


The Union laments that the sector was polarised by theChinese companies most of whom came under government projectsand as a result disregarded the labour act and relatedstatutory instruments . The Union has been blocked fromcertain construction sites which had been declared no go areasfor security reasons. E.g. “ The construction of the DefenceCollege”

The sector also experiences discrimination and harassment ofvictims and selective application of the law. Othermultinational companies have also emerged which are seeking tomaintain sufficient cheap and disciplined workforce. Thedifferent styles and approaches used in management calls for aneed to reanalyse the employment, salary structures andworking conditions generally. The Remnants of powerbargaining the union had gained since independence has beenunder attack and the trade union may be left contained in thenon-effective areas or may be totally eliminated.


During the seventh parliament the union was able topresent its issues before the parliament portfoliocommittee on Labour and also made some presentations tothe Minister of labour which resulted in the setting upof a Commission of Inquiry on the matter. However thereis a great effort that needs to done in terms of lobbyingand advocacy particularly on the tendering processes andinvestment agreements with other countries. The factthat the trade union is not involved from the onset putsus in a situation where we cannot protect the workers’rights but are always reacting to what capital’sbehaviour

Recommendations

The trade union leadership at all levels needs to beequipped with policy analysis, strategic planning andadvocacy skills. These are important when engaging withpolitical structures. Affiliates within their budgets can

50

provide for such orientation which enables to receivetailored programme.

The union noted a big gap in the organising andmobilisation strategies. “We are doing more work shoppingthan our core business and we keep replying oldstrategies when the scenarios have long changed . Therehas been change in the industrial structures, theemployers and the type of employee. We therefore need torevisit our strategies and frameworks otherwise the tradeunion visibility is dying down. We become loud only onpolitical platforms and not on issues that affect theworkers on a day to day.

The trade union movement has been weakened by donorfunding. We need to start coming up with workablestrategies for self-financing. Our machinery needs tostudy where the monies are and at the same time if wetransform our systems we will be able to meet withworkers expectations and at the same time collect themoney. The key thing to remember is that trade union ismembership and not the offices.

For our politics and political direction, the ZCTU has atask of cleaning the perceptions of being politicallyaligned. The trade union is a political entity and wecannot ignore the politics because it affects our welfarebut we must not be compromised the workers mandate.Policy and political engagement must happen in a mannerwhich benefits the workers tangibly. COSATU is in analliance but it is clear on its objectives and mandates.

Wage negotiations are happening in a haphazard mannerwhich has led to the fragmentation of the union powerbecause there is now lack of collective planning forCollective Bargaining and any action which may benecessary. The SI45 /2013 allow employers to apply forexemption. This means that our collective bargainingefforts will not be effective because in these difficulttimes the employer can easily choose to apply forexemption.

We can also see that the Government –Ministry of Labouris loud on aspects of freedom of association. This willmean that NECs may be clogged with many yellow unions.The ZCTU may need to propose a code of ethics andstandards which will seek to improve on governance.

51

xix. Zimbabwe Domestic and Allied Workers UnionMr. Ruyi General Secretary


This is the sector that is least protected because it has nocollective bargaining whatsoever. The employers are notorganised and the Wages and Salaries Advisory Board determinesthe benchmarks for remuneration as well as working conditions.It is therefore one of the lowly paid sectors. The Uruguayregulation requires commitment from?????????????? and it isimportant to push ratification of convention 189 which couldstrengthen organising and facilitate effectiveness of theunion.


The majority of workers in this sector are women who havevery little social protection and the employer determineswhat rights they should have. So the attitude of theemployer will also determine the working conditions.While these workers are found both in rural and urbanthere is need to have an elaborate collective bargainingplatform and more important, ratification of convention189.

A lot of the workers both male and female are sexuallyabused by their employers. There is need to enforce theirprotection and educate them more on their rights andequip them to speak and fight for their rights .

While the country has ratified convention 182, childlabour is still rampant and now there is glaring evidencein the streets and even among gold panners. We willtherefore need a wholesome strategy that highlights morethe social situation of the domestic worker and thechildren that are suffering there. Our Advocacy mustleave the ordinary systems and go to where it reaches outto the children

Recommendations

The trade union can establish a drop in centre inconjunction with other organisation for the protection ofchildren and child workers.

52

We need to advocate for universal health system andsocial protection which extends to these lowly paidsectors

A parliament monitoring group can be established to keepknocking on the government’s door so that we get moreconventions ratified. People may begin to think we areall about political parties yet that is only a fractionof what we do.

xx. Zimbabwe Education, Scientific and Allied WorkersUnion

Mr. Mutindindi General Secretary


Policies are basically products of ministries and the sector isaffected by instruments emanating from the Ministry of Labour andSocial Services, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education andMinistry of Higher Education as well as political statements frompolitical leaders. From the Ministry of Health the governmentdetermines the working conditions within the mission hospitals.Therefore whatever applies to the Public Service will be upheld byhospital boards. The same is obtaining in the education sectorexcept with special projects. The universities are funded throughgrants and the Minister of labour administers labour relations. Theunion feels that the Ministry of Labour is undertaking activitieswhich lead to undermining and weakening the union. There aresituation where an agreement is reached and the union has been tothe courts 6 times, judgement is deferred and the CBA is notpublished. The Government has also gone on to register unionswithout accreditation and that has become our weakest link as atrade union movement.

53

The NGO sector has become common for exploitation of workers.Employment conditions are constantly ignored and workers in a lot oftimes go without their full salaries. In some cases projects areterminated without full communication with the workers and theirlives is hinged on political stability. This also may apply even tothe trade union sector where our employment standards may be foundwanting.


The retrenchment process had a fund which targeted retrenchesand could be used to facilitated redeployment of workersthrough training and reskilling. This will require links withthe ZIMDEV before retrenchment packages are approved. Ournegotiators for packages end up focusing on the quantum ratherthan the whole life of the retrenchees which is going tochange totally

There is also gap between ZCIEA and SEDCO and other policystructures with our retrenches particularly those that are ourformer members. This disjointment has caused ourcaused ourex – trade unionists to remain informal with no prospect oftransforming. The trade union needs to start working on meansand strategies of offering more services which keep all thetrade unionist together because once a trade unionist one willalways be a labour activist.

There is need to create structures which help mainstreamprofessionalization given that informality is determined byaccess to social services , legal resources and protection .If therefore were not working on ensuring that these aspectsare covered we sit in the retrenchment board to help increasethe numbers of the poor. This can be achieved through the NECsand the ZCTU could initiate engagements with EMCOZ as welland expand on services like trade testing, standardisation,etc.

The higher and tertiary education system needs to be linkedand their measures be focused on employment creation andpromotion of labour intensive sectors as well as mainstreamingthe decent work agenda.

Recommendations

The ZCTU must host labour conferences which bring togethertrade union leaders, technocrats, academics and politicians to

54

deal with the bread and butter issues. Unions can helpfundraise through their international counterparts andmembership.

The ZCTU regional and international advocacy must involveunions because we all engage with the international fraternityand our messages must be similar and our voices the same. Thefragmented approach is not health and the monopolisticapproach weakens the movement and destroys militarism.

While we appreciate the dynamics in organising we must notethat it is failing to raise the critical mass we need. We mustquestions like where are the workers right now and map themaccordingly then we unleash our forces in the directionindicated by the map. Because we are not linked 3 trade unionorganisers can travel to one spot to undertake organisingwithout thinking of the other unions. This has affected theunion density

We also needed leadership development programmes which empowerus to politically engage as well as equip us the run theunions sustainably for the sake of the workers struggle.

Political Direction

The ZCTU needs to clean itself of petty conflicts and sanitiseitself from the stigma of being identified with a politicalparty. It is important for us to make political noise onanything that threatens the workers. “We are not just anopposition, but we have a quench for development that issocially oriented towards poverty reduction and gendersensitivity. The workers should not be pushed away or bedivided on party lines because there are bigger battles tofight in the communities, service delivery, which affectspeople from all parties. Therefore if we mean to transform thestate into a developmental state we must act it and do so.

Our next research should to study what our neighbours aredoing right. Zambia, Botswana and Mozambique are overtakingus. If it is the populist policies that are wrong then haveclear data on it and make our statement bold at all levels.

xxi. Zimbabwe Furniture & Timber Allied Workers UnionThis union covers a sectors which includes furniture manufacturingand lumber milling. It was formed in late 1980s and has a potentialmembership of between 6 000 to 8 000. The biggest actors in thissector are King and Harlequin ,Harlequin, TNyambirai ,TNyambirai,Universal Furniture’s, Edson and Bore line. The Forestry Commission

55

of Zimbabwe is another potential area for organising but theCommission is blocking unionisation of the area although the unionalready has 150 members .members. The total number of unionmembership is about 3 000.This union has been heavily affected bythe poor policies and still births within government programmes andthe insecure environment and so many manufacturers have shifted thecore business to neighbouring countries. Some have retrenched andso a lot of the potential members are now in the informaleconomy .economy. The lumber milling sector has been heavilyaffected by the indigenisation and land grabbing and the majority ofthe employers here disregard collectivedisregard collectivebargaining agreements andagreements and do not show any intentionsto honour agreements. Age negotiations havenegotiations have beensticky becausesticky because the employer part which is currentlyled by former CZI president refuses to acknowledge the difficultsituation workers in this sector are in .in. Further to that theunion is owed between $ 60 000 and $70 000 in terms of remittances.

Issues for Advocacy

The sector has lost a lot of membership ,membership, some ofwhom were trained and educated cadres to retrenchments ,company closures and company relocations . This has causedunionism to be weaker. The whole trade union movement needs tocome up with strategies of retain membership and grow theworking class ideology. If we celebrate the departure ofothers who have lost jobs its us who loose in the end. So wecan have special programmes and services which accommodatethem.

There is also need to have joint advocacy programmes at NEClevel. The employers are also being affected by bad policiesand some trade agreements which have literally killed thebusiness. First we have the country risk factors which make itexpensive to manufacture here and results in our productsbeing too expensive. Other countries have seen this as anopportunity to bring their goods like the Chinese, therebykilling our industry .industry. We need thoroughinvestigations into such sectors as ours to ascertain thedamage done to this economy. We can see that we have skilledpeople but they are in the streets working under poorconditions . conditions. Therefore all trade agreements andpolicies need to be analysed for proper advocacy .advocacy.

56

Other towns have become ghost towns due to closure ofcompanies . companies. Examples are Bulawayo and Gweru .Gweru. We believe all the towns have been affected and so moreworkers are thrown into a desperate situation of having tosurvive . survive. We need to advocate from an informed pointof view and study the impact of how people are living in thecommunities and link it to productivity.

Recommendations

The unions need the centre to assist with collection of dues.The capital knows that without money there will be nounion]business to talk of so if we are not financially stablewe will spend time fighting amongst each other than facing theenemy.

The regional offices can also assist with organising andadvising on potential areas for unionisation. Gone are thetimes when we enjoyed operating in isolation and claimedterritories. We need to revisit our strategies for growth andstrengthening the union .

xxii. Zimbabwe Security Guards UnionMr. Nhema General Secretary

Mr. Toendepi Mahaso Legal Advisor

Collective bargaining Scenario

There are so many policy gaps in the security service sector. Forexample the Private Investigators and Security Guards Control ActChapter 27:10of 1977 regards this sector to be reserved forpensioners yet security guards are recruited from all levels. Therequirements for one to qualify to register a Security Guardcompany on of the directors must be an ex member of the police orarmy. The definition of the security guard in the Act which saysthat they are a partner /co-operator and thus remuneration is

57

exclusively at the discretion of the company. Whiles an NEC wasestablished in 2010, the CBA has been difficult to enforce due tothe hostile and acrimonious conditions the negotiation platform isidentified with. The nature of the relationships where employers arealways negotiating in bad faith and the legal framework, make thecollective bargaining platform frictious.

Lobbying and Advocacy Issues

The union has a lobbying document which has been lodged with the ZCTUwhich is an appeal to Lobby for Labour Law reforms and stated mattersdemanding amendment of the Private Investigations and Security GuardsControl Act chapter 27:10 of 1977.

Training and certification – The policy that a company trains itsown guards, determine the content of syllabus, duration etc. Thismeans that we do not have a standardised system upon which we can setand improve the working conditions with the consent of the NEC. Aneffective NEC will enable us to negotiate for better socialprotection systems and will enable government to supervise andmonitor the security organisations.

There has emerged the Zimbabwe Indigenous National SecurityAssociation. The companies affiliated are party linked and they getto win most of the tenders from the state yet their employmentconditions compromise the security. This means that the sector isoperating with a tilted scale in favour of party linked employers. Atthe same the union is affected when it comes to collecting dueswhich have been going down every month

The deindustrialisation as a result of poor policies has alsoimpacted on the sector as companies require less of the securityservices. However informal operations have emerged in the highdensity suburbs for car parks and neighbourhood watch in the lowdensity and new areas. However these are not linked to the unions butif we were to organise them it would help boost our membership.

Recommendations

This process of scaling up our advocacy is going to require alot of capacity building which focuses on developing aleadership that is well oiled. Our leadership developmentmust expand knowledge on the policy formulation andimplementation process, networking with political leaders atall levels and understanding the political structure. We mustcontinue to develop and arm our leadership because one Morgancannot win the battle against capital.

We need caucus teams at sector or cluster level. These canmonitor the parliament committees and follow up Ministriesfrom time and updates must come through a parliament bulletin.This will mean that we undertake resource mobilisation tosustain those activities.

58

We also need to task the ZCTU to scale up training andknowledge in Social Dialogue and include political engagementand lobbying and advocacy skills may be degree level.

Our subcommittees in the General Council must reflect thepolitical needs of the organisation and they can play ameaningful role in guiding the caucus groups. This means thatwe must oil our systems in terms of communication at alllevels.

xxiii. Zimbabwe Teachers AssociationMr. Ndhlovu General Secretary


The biggest issue for the teaching sector which affects allgovernment employees is that there is no bargaining that takes place.However now that we have a constitution which accords those rightsthere is need to realign the Public Service Act with the constitutionand establish a collective bargaining machinery . The unavailabilityof the CB platform has caused working conditions to deteriorate tolevels where teachers earn the poorest salaries yet they breed thecountry’s citizens and future leaders. The result has beenproliferation of many private schools which makes education expensivefor the ordinary person. If teachers embark on an action it is also afact that it is our children who suffer because those of the rulingelite are in private schools or out of the country.


We need to establish a Teaching Professional Council throughthe Education Act or some regulation which will properly definethe profession and also state the working conditions. In 1997 aCommission for Civil Service was established but it was caughtup in power play and ended up concentrating on issues ofcontrolling entry and exit , disciplinary measures , grading ,ethics and codes . The conditions of service or the minimumsare barely touched.

There is need to look into the following Acts combined whichaffect this sector : The Public Service Act, Pensions anddisability Act, Ministry of Health , as well as Ministry ofJustice

If we can have a functional Child Parliament links with themain parliament and is fully funded, Unions should be able tofundraise for their advocacy programmes. Thus there is need fora full budget and capacity building for the trade unionstructures to engage with policy nationally and geographically.We should keep on Knocking.

59

We should have an annual policy conference which combinesgovernment , academics and other stakeholders so that we standout as labour

For the teachers the APEX Council must die as an alternative toamending the Public Service Act. The whole country ends upaccepting the Apex Council hypnotically yet it reduces theworkers to begging levels.

Recommendations

In the era that we are in politics is going to be thecentral issue therefore unions must establish Advocacydepartments. The personnel in this department become thepolicy think tanks for the trade union and monitor issuesas they progress. The unions themselves will requirecapacity building which enable them to sustain advocacyactivities

Political relationships should not compromise workers’positions. We need to maintain our independence andpolitically align our statements and action with needs ofthe workers.

We need to strengthen networks within the trade unionmovement so that we do not seem to be operating in silos.We need to rekindle the brotherhood spirit because thatis what trade unionism is all about.

There is need for strategy to nurture new affiliates andnew leaders. Thus there is need to arrange a leadershipdevelopment programme which prepares elected Trade Unionleaders to effectively play their role, like aninitiation which is regular and keeps trade unionstructures intact.

xxiv. Zimbabwe Textile Workers UnionMr Kuveya General Secretary


The scenario within the sector is influenced by activities within the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture. The sector covers the weaving, spinning, dyeing and knitting. This is generally a labour intensive sector and for a long time it enjoyed the advantages gained from most raw material being local and the sector was a value addition toagricultural inputs. For the past 10 years the situation has been deteriorating due to the vulnerability of the sector after the invasion by the Asians. We have now lost big operators like the David Whitehead, and other spinning and weaving companies. There is

60

now mostly retailing business and at the NEC the employers will be lamenting these difficulties the economy is facing and so seek to link and salary increments to productivity.


There is need for us as a country to study the levels andstandards of our technology which is operating in the industrycurrently and then come up with a strategy for the renewalwhich is efficient as well as catering for full employment.This includes a study of the supply chain management and thevalue additions and identify means of making them workercentred and the same time be competitive.

Trade agreements operating in the region need to be studiedwidely and be analysed to see if they are aligned to ourdevelopment policies and our aspirations as Zimbabweans. Thisincludes tracking non -compliance with standards from sourceto impact.

We need to test the sincerity of government in democratisingthe country by insisting and preparing the relevant budgetsfor activities that facilitate democratisation of thecountry , like funding of civic education on the currentconstitution.

Recommendations

The ZCTU needs to pursue issues that keep us relevant to ourconstituencies

The ZCTU needs to come up with a strategy that seeks totransform informal economy in a way that is linked to ourmembers who are being retrenched

Constantly hosting collective bargaining conferences onanything that affects workers keeps us together and strong.We should be the barking dog which barks at anythingthreatening workers anywhere in Zimbabwe , in the region andthe world.

Sometimes we have spent too much time lamenting our issue anddisregarding that there are other issues going on in theregion affecting other workers. The trade unionrelationships needs to be extended horizontally and vertically, internally and externally .

As the national labour centre we need to fight to remove thestigma of being partisan and engage with a full mandate fromthe workers. Such consultations help to keep us as one .

61

Keep working towards solutions to sustain the trade unionmovement

xxv. Zimbabwe Tobacco Industrial Workers UnionMr. Sibanda General Secretary


The union represents workers who work in the areas of processingtobacco and it’s by- products. Collective Bargaining was alsoinfluenced first by the unplanned land reform process whichplummeted the output on the market causing some industries to close,like Rothmans and British American Tobacco. There have been effortsto try and resuscitate the sector and the look east policy broughtforth some rejuvenation of the sector. There are also newmanufacturers like the SAVANA. It must be noted that there was atime when tobacco used to be one of the largest foreign currencyearner and yet today it cannot really stand out. The other aspectwhich affects collective bargaining is the fact that the workingconditions for the workers particularly in the sorting area likegrading sheds are insecure. When the farms were taken over by newfarmers most of them were displaced and as it is there is noprofessional grading happening. The employers for the manufacturingsector do not present true financial position as there is a lot oftransfer pricing. Whiles the Tobacco Marketing Board regulates thesector the customer determines the price.


There is need for the TNF to meet more regularly because thereare too many political decisions that are being implementedwithout worker input. We may need to study and see how many ofour recommendations or inputs are being considered. If for along time we have been talking with little results , we needto revisit our strategies

We need to research and present a strong case on issuesaffecting workers. If we do fire fighting we begin to soundlike the opposition. We have to come from a worker’s angle andbase our arguments on workers ILO standards and tangible

62

evidence then they will be forced to listen to us. If not thenwe act.

The parliament is not visible to the ordinary person and theworkers. We should recommend reform that allows for the publicto make an input into parliament decisions.

xxvi. Zimbabwe Union of JournalistFoster Dongozi General Secretary


The union covers journalist wherever they are as well as theinformation dissemination systems. There is cross ownership of themedia in Zimbabwe resulted in the employers refusing to establish anN.E.C. The media section is composed of 84 publications which can bepresented as follows.

Quantities

Type of Media

1 6 Dailies2 6 Private publications3 8 Weeklies4 5 Foreign5 3 Provincial private media6 3 Government provincial7 2 Parades8 1 Glamorous9 7 National Radio stations10 2 Channels ZBC11 2 DSTV & GO TV ( 3million plus decoders solder up

December 2013)12 13million Mobile phones14 4.5

MillionAccess the internet

15 2 Exiled radio stationsTotal 84 PublicationsIssues for Lobbying & Advocacy

The laws heavily sit on the media such that to own a radiostation it’s the benevolence of the government, there is thecensorship entertainment act , the Broadcasting Act , AIPPA,POTRAZ-ICT , Transport and Communication , Sports and Cultureand even the Electoral Ac.t

63

The consequences of these laws has been criminalisation ofjournalist work which then seems to gag journalist as theyfear for their safety and security and in the absence of alocal framework for their protection we look to externalpartners to do that. There is now absence of investigativejournalism.

The new constitution section 60-62 gives explicit guarantee tofreedom of expression and freedom of artistic expression butfor these reforms to be aligned with the policies is still adream because propaganda is the main weapon for the rulingparty while the opposition is lurking in the horizon

We need to sustain a global campaign about the situation inZimbabwe. Currently Zimbabwe is off the rudder because ourinformation is skewed and our actions have gone flat. Media isprobably one of the only avenues left which we can use torekindle the fire even in Zimbabwe.

There is need for us to be innovative and think outside thebox. The whole environment has changed except the trade unionmovement. The image of ZCTU is slowly fading and only beingidentified with party politics and yet there is a lot of workbeing done which is not visible to the ordinary person.Therefore brand campaign is necessary.

Recommendations

There is need for proper training in the use of media. Unionactivities should be lodged with ZUJ so that we can make newsof it and at the same time orient and excite journalists tocover workers issues or to get them to seek workers’perspective all the time. Then the opinion of the ZCTU oraffected Union should be sought.

We need to identify key journalists to work with which cancover various sectors. This will mean that our data base ofinformation and events is shared and there is improvedcommunication amongst us

We need to establish a parliament monitoring group whichreleases statements of the outcomes of engagements using ourown alternative media networks. The union can work with thecentre to put that system in place and we put back theZimbabwe case on agenda. Right now the world believes that thestruggle for Zimbabweans is over. Even if we write a letter orwe request to meet someone that should be big news and theresponse whether positive or negative is new. That is what theordinary person and decision makers are not getting

64

We can also use spots and culture to scale up our advocacy. Weneed to rekindle the ZCTU trophy and let it be regional withsemi-finals played on May day then we have a day when all thesix teams clash in Harare and it becomes another event forscaling up workers issues .

We are not growing the areas of unionisation and so capitalnow has us contained in non-important sectors where there islow productivity. The ruling elite are part of capital so theywill never be for us in anyway. The arts and culture sector,the sports sector, the taxi drivers are all full of workers.Even if there are no NECs lets establish unions and the fightfor NECs will come.

xxvii. Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers Union

Mr. Mahlangu General Secretary

The union is geographically organised and is legal framework isguided by the Urban Councils Act as well as the labour Act. TheCollective Bargaining platform has been undermined emergence ofsplinters and yellow unions like the HMWU and WAUZ (former ZINWA)The negotiating partners on the employer side are UCAZ which thenforms what is representative of the NEC. For a long time therehas been request to establish an NEC which the employer has beenand is still avoiding. Hopefully under the new constitution thiscan now be affected.


The working environment is polarised in that most politicalparties would like to use our geographical structures forpolitical expedience. This gets so bad that workers are dismissedfrom employment when councils exchange power.

The employment in this sector is insecure such that in someinstances a worker spends 19 years on a six months contract.Through study of the labour market situation and the impact ofpolarisation will need to be studied.

The Local Authorities Act needs to be analysed in so far as itaffects the environment in the Urban Authorities. The Minister’spowers and rhetoric’s have interfered with the workers ‘rights aswell as those of the citizens. For example when they cancelledhe debts 80% of which were owed by the state releases the statefrom what it owes but the workers are left with no salaries or themeans to provide the services. Also the creditors to the local

65

authorities did not cancel what they are owed by the authoritiesso now the towns and cities are cash strapped.

The informal economy which is where the majority of the people areis continuously under attack because we are not coordinated enoughto protect them. These include informal shelter, markets andvending. Government uses them for their politics. We haveorganised them but what do we benefit from having ZCIEA. We needto be clear as to how to use them to benefit the workers’struggle.

Recommendations

The ZCTU has been too quiet and as such is seen as if it’splaying patronage politics yet we are the only discerningvoice left. We need to clean out the perception of ZCTUAffiliation to MDC and become visible on workers issues. Wehave lost the militancy and our structures are in need ofrejuvenation. So we need combined efforts to have a strategyowned by the workers and rekindle the labour forums.

The workers must host labour conferences to ventilate on allthe sensitive issues and have all structures input in the wayforward so that if there is action to be done everyone has abuy in.

The state media is overshadowing other unions and it seemslike some unions are more ZCTU than others. We need a strategyoutside the normal because the government and business havebeen studying us for a long time and so they know exactly howto keep us silent

Our regional structures can assists with organising,coordinating and communicating and this will keep the tradeunion body visible and intact.

All provisions in the Urban Councils’ Act chapter 29:15whichare not in line with the new constitution to be repealed.

Xxviii ZCTU Regional -Policy and Parliament Engagement Perspectives

Regional Chairperson Mr. Mawopa

Regional Chairperson Mr. Ngwenya

Trade Union Environment Analysis

66

The regional structures have remained strong and visible with thedecentralisation of control of worker events and activities. Howevercost of living and difficult situation has been affecting workerparticipation. The US dollar helped to stabilise the environment butfor the ordinary person it is difficult to get hold of . Our regionsfeel this because our activities depend on the commitment of workersand what level is their consciousness and appreciation of the eventsand activities taking place. The other difficulty comes when workersare not informed about activities and events. Sometimes workers knowof things like Workers’ day preparations when the organising teamsgo to factories to look for donations. This can also be said of therest of the events.

Whiles we took part in parliament public enquiries, we would haveliked to bring in a lot of workers to make impact. At the same timethere are other decisions being made by local authorities and localpoliticians which affect our lives. There are very few people in ourregional councils who are aware of how these processes work and yetwe know workers are being affected every day.

The national advocacy issues are ok but we have to find means ofensuring that workers and the working class are informed and theyshould know how these issues link with them , with the budget oreven transitional justice issues . The noise for these issues mustbe heard in each district and constituent. The whipping system inparliament makes the Members of Parliament not to discuss issues ofconcern to us so we must make noise from constituent and ward level.

We must improve our intelligence gathering mechanisms. We need toknow what is happening in each and every ministry and localauthority department. This is the only way we can protect theworkers’ interests. This means that our locals must be alive and beinformed straight from top. So that when an issue is mentioned or astatement by the S.G. the structures should be the first to say yeswe agree. Empowering the voices of the masses is what creates ademocratic environment.

A general Council member or an executive must be seen to be activeat regional level. This is the true revolutionary spirit. If we haveanother class within the labour movement we shoot ourselves in thefoot . Our affiliates structure movement must identify with the

67

labour movement, then we will be winners . Our power is in thenumbers and a committed leadership .

Organisation Area of Focus

1 ZLHR Security Systems

2 ZLHR UPR Review

3 ZLHR, NANGO & ZHRNGO

NPRC- Bill

4 NANGO Developmental and country strategy-EU

5 NANGO SADC we want - OXFAM

6 ZHRNGO Transitional Justice

7 ZHRNGO Engagement with Commissioners

8 SAPST Democratisation of the Parliament

9 ZESN Ensuring that we have democratic elections

10 ZEN Ref GP Lobbying & Advocacy in Europe

68

12. Summary & Analysis of Findings

1. Demonstrates different dimensions of Issues impacting onZCTU Policy and Parliament Engagement

A. Internal B. External

- 28 Affiliate Members & Associations

responded reflected an interest

in the welfare of the workers

and concern over the union’s

capacities to undertake advocacy

and lobbying .

The issues identified as issuesfor advocacy included aspects to

do with internal capacities of

the of the ZCTU as well as those

to with affiliates

-The three Arms of Government,

NECs -Development partners CSOs,

Churches

There is a need to dealwith perceptions

internally and externally

in order for the ZCTU to

chart a clear course for

the workers and the

working class bodily

69

There were aspects to do witheffectiveness through efficiency

, administration feasibility

sustainability and

responsiveness of the whole

labour body to the needs and

expectations of its members

-The sub aspects to be

investigated on are internal

planning, and goal setting and

futuristic forecasting which may

propose new frameworks for the

labour movement for its survival

Unions now need in addition

capacity to research & to

research and conceptualise

findings , network ,

intelligence gathering and

undertake lobbying and advocacy

at sector levels

-Capacity to organize , educateand maintain and or grow

membership with -Sub goals

include mechanisms for efficient

communication, records and

information management, well-

polished transformational

leaders who can participate indecision making at international

confronting its weaknesses

There is therefore need to

deal with the question of

Trade Union and Country

Politics.

Constant and consistently

there is need to keep

assessing the collective

bargaining arena . The

poverty levels are and the

informal economy is

dominant economy and those

that are employed are not

receiving regular wages

and the social fabric is

severely eroded.

The trade union is

constantly under attack

which has reduced trade

union density and calls

for labour market

flexibility are suggesting

that ZCTU is a barrier to

job creation . Whiles

unemployment is an

intrinsic outcome of

capitalist mode of

70

level

Out of the 28 affiliates of theZCTU interviewed only 2 where

women and out of the 35

interviewed only 3 where women.

This a clear indication that

there is gender disparity at the

leadership level despite women

forming the majority of

membership.

While collective bargaining

must start , continue and

end democratically union

decision making structures

must be aligned with these

principles . The survey

revealed the need to improve

on levels of accountability ,

organisational communication

such that in small

establishments workers must

feel that the union I their

shield .Unions must be built

on unity and solidarity

pillars and its leadership

must be prepared for an

assault on trade unions by

capital.

production it also plays

an important role in

weakening the power of the

trade union movement

All affiliates confirmed

that that there is need for

constant and consistent

policy dialogue which should

be going on at all levels

and also that it should be

decentralised and devolved

to take into account issues

within geographical

structures. When pointed out

that this would requires

elaborate management

skills , stake holder

analysis and efficacy in

handling of the debate,

recoding and follow up this

was all pushed to capacity

building . This entails that

there will be need to coach

the leadership in engagement

skills , diplomatic skills ,

as well as advocacy and

lobbying skills .

71

In all the interviews there

were echoes of sentiments

for organisation renewal ,

improvement in data

gathering , intelligence and

knowledge management which

will require coordination

and linking with external

partners as well as experts

in the various fields .

Particularly when it comes

to the aspect of engaging

with public policy reformAdopted from FNV-Partners Assessment Doc 2013 -1

13. Recommendations

Topics requiring further research

1. Over view of Collective bargaining , organising and campaignsand challenges facing the ZCTU

2. Trade Union density , organising and recruitment 3. Informal economy workers and unionisations as a means of

strengthening the workers of Zimbabwe 4. Trade Unions , working class ideology and country politics 5. Towards strengthening he labour movement , new frameworks and

new strategies6. Pro-poor policies in transition to a developmental state7. Youth participation in the trade union movement8. Progress Occupational Health and safety and steps towards

establishing social protection floor9. Gender main streaming beyond rhetoric within the labour

movement

72

Outcomes of Group Work from the General Secretaries validationworkshop Group 1

Summary

National policy to regularise how business is conducted in thecountry to guided input from respective NECs

Minimum wage should be discussed and concluded at nationallevel

NECs and unions are politically neutral and so should focus ontransforming this country into a developmental state takinginto account the need to have redistributive policies that arepro-poor and Gender sensitive.

Advocacy on Labour law reform to continue and specifically onLiquidation of companies - Employees not a priority –number 5.The ZCTU had brought the issue in the Labour Law Reform .Preparatory Meeting TNF to be continued as a matter of urgency.

Need to help unions and NECs to be assisted with policy andadvocacy research and the suggested topics have been listedfor union.

Deductions from our salaries to unions and pension funds notbeing submitted to the expected institutions and section 52of the Labour Act – Systems are corrupt and the unions areisolated in their struggle . An advocacy programme to belaunched targeting the capitalistic structures no meeting theexpectations and the trade union to assisted to expand itsservices to members .

o Pensions IPEC…. Union to rope in IPEC , Board of trustees National process to protect industry- We need better policies

that are inclusive and that are pro-poor not policies thatjust benefit a few , good policies that encourage growth ofindustry

Resuscitate industry . If we kill industry we kill jobs andany prosperity for decent work to be created

Legal Action on remittances not made Unions need to beassisted with legal advice and services . If the centreassists they can get their percentage as well

Lawyer IPEC systems interrogated

73

Blue print to be prepared to be prepared on socialaccountability which should guide our advocacy on socialissues . We have documents covering the legal and the economyissues but a policy document is required on social issues …

Inculcate the culture of reading and responding and make useof all communication technologies as well as our ZCTURegional Structures

Once union is register its allowed in the NEC – contradictssection 53

Groups 2

Widening wage disparities- pornographic salaries : We need totake charge of our campaign and let it focus to allpornographic salaries in the country and compare with minimumwages or non-payment of salaries

Advocacy against Flexibility of labour market Poor corporate governance

o People sitting on too many boards o CEOs sitting in various boards and influencing perks

Victimisation of trade unions and non-remittances of dues tounions should now become an ILO issue because union businessis being crippled

Policy inconsistences in the country must be pointed out froman informed position

MPs benefits must be linked to Economy performance Industrial action against labour market flexibility onslaught

o 1985 Labour relations Acto 1992 they said too long

Reference is being made to the Ministry of Finance’s statement Unions Solidarity Populist policies going un challenged.

o Highlight the impact of populist policieso Gvt owns 56 companies / parastatalso Estate Kaonde , Zhanda these are practising self-

enriching policies and evidence should be documented o Pfungwe company in Mutare – Workers Committee chaired by

Headman , Chief fires

74

The need to have an engagement platform with ZCTU leadershipso that we all speak from the same page. General Secretariesneed to be part and parcel of the process which in puts intopolicy .

Diagram presentation of recommendations

75

Workers and Affiliates

Social Partners and development partners

Trade Union Leadership &

Leadership Coaching and development Programes to include political

orientation and engagement skills to deal with the new dispensation, 5

commissions and other development partners ,

Hosting of labour conferences, caucus

metings and strategies for engament with the

parliament

More sector specific Advocacy strategies and developmental policiesThe need to establish

more regular engagement platforms for policy dialogue to challenge populist policies and demand accountability

Transformation of our systems to incorporate intelligence gathering,

frameworks for organising which

incorporate informal economy workers and take into account viability of the

organisation . This includes more research

on parliament and policy issues

Improved communication strategies , sanitisation of perceptions of

political affiliation ,More

services and benefits like insurance schemes,

pension plans and provision of basic

needs

Technical capacity buildingtowards strengthening the

14. Conclusions

Basically advocacy is a process of managing information andknowledge strategically, to change and or influence policies,practises attitudes and beliefs that affect the lives of the people.William Arthur Ward stated that mediocre advocacy tells people, goodadvocacy explains, superior advocacy acts and great advocacyinspires. This analogy helps us to understand where or how ouradvocacy is performing.

The General Secretaries of the ZCTU affiliates which met in 2009couched that advocacy is a deliberate process that promotes justiceand human rights consciousness. This means that at that timeworkers’ focus was on influencing power holders and structures inorder to consolidate social change.

This requires good knowledge, backed by sound analysis and anability to argue with government technocrats, politicians andspecialists who have their own interpretation of affairs. The tradeunion leadership is called on to influence other stake holders,undertake policy analysis, identify and put pressure on specificactors. This includes raising awareness on their specific sectorissues through political education and participation inimplementation as well as monitoring compliance, effects of policiesand agreements. For the ZCTU and its affiliates to be distinctiveand effective, there is need to derive their positions from the on-going experiences at the collective bargaining platforms and otherresearch initiatives within sectors.

The theory and practical intentions is that Trade Unions strengthwill be measured by ability to make demands on government in termsof services, rights to access resources, behaviour of state agents,desired priorities and public policies. Simultaneously at thecollective bargaining table workers can freely take the initiativeto engage as well as expand their choices for negotiations inpursuit of their interests.

The other aspect is engaging for social and economic reform that istransformative in a poverty reduction focused manner and gendersensitive sustainably. While we acknowledge that coherence is quitemessy and achieving balance against neoliberalism policies, market

76

based economics has its complexities but must be dealt with.Structural adaptations required in terms of policies , size and roleof the state is a great test for the Trade Union movement ‘scapacities to communicate a common agenda framework andunderstanding as well as creating interplay between positioning andtaking a position , evidence and strategizing and skill whichtranscends existing organisational and national boundaries .

The workers testimonies and evidence gathered presence itslegitimacy presents legitimacy of perspectives which is commonlysilent in policy making. Also workers and the business andpoliticians can establish mutually supportive relationships whichwill include intermediary levels and facilitate decentralisation ofdevelopment processes and devolution of power. The point is thatpolicy decisions, legislation and programmes impact different invarying geographical areas and so at local points considering thatour lobbying and advocacy is incomplete if it does not take intoaccount how poverty is created and maintained.

We have also come to appreciate that a process of engagement is nota meeting, nor is it simply co-opted input. It is rather authenticparticipation. In today’s parlance there are various stake holders,political parties, churches, residents associations and othercitizen groups which do not necessarily enjoy equal relationshipwith the state. They are also victims of power imbalances and power-plays and lack in capacities and techniques for strategies andmechanisms for interaction.

The trade union is also faced with the need to scale up that whichcauses workers to compromise at the negotiating table. This includesthe need to influence operations, collating trends and patterns andshaping the overall development process. To achieve those workersmust push forward on leverage so that achievement of primary goalsinfluences the larger forces which cause deprivation. When socialbudgets are cut it must be triggered off when derogatory statementare made they must be made to swallow them

Trade union advocacy and lobbying must also seek to forge necessaryrelationships functionally take on political lobbying ,monitoringcompliance ,propagate new ideas , establish networks for a

77

sustainable future for the socially disadvantaged and economicallypoor . “It is not by fortification or standing armies or navies but by policies whichbring happiness and comfort for our people which will facilitate redistribution of ourwealth and opportunities. Our strength will be a contended people ready to defend ordie for its country” (Unknown)

The challenge for the trade union movement is to come up withstrategy to develop and put into operation country-wide mechanismscapable of getting workers to demand secure. The ZCTU has enormouspotential to shape the future of the country. We have alternativesto proffer for the toughest and chronic situations and ourstrategies are transformational and we move issues out of whitecollar and boardroom discussions to the masses. The trade unionmovement can challenge the status quo and its legal systems,establish an alliance for justice, undertake research and trainingand lobbying networks to strengthen people participation. Thefollowing suggestions may help;

Communication approaches and tools which are far reaching andconvincing enough to trigger change. It the ZCTU manages totake every worker on board and the citizenry at large thiswill optimise possibility of sustained change.

There ZCTU can work with its affiliates and structures toestablish issue based networks and grow the critical massbecause it is politics which dominates uptake of issues.

Advocacy and lobbying by nature, needs to be tied down to aresearch and communication strategy. This entails identifyingtopics for research from the problematic areas, questioningthe way policy is formulated, administered and the politicalsystem including the hurdles and landmines, gaps, complexitiesand bottlenecks.

There is need also to open up space for ordinary workersinvolvement and establish platforms as close to the worker aspossible implanted on the principles and values, workers’ideology and interest thereby protecting workers rights andfostering responsible policies, maintaining and enhancingstrong environment conducive for the survival of the workers’voice.

From the findings the ZCTU is being called to undertake beyondborders advocacy which should target transnational

78

corporations and their networks. This will call a thoroughstudy of the supply chain management and seeking to understandtheir links socially and politically. Appreciate that whichstrengthens capital and improve on it for the working class.

The whole process can be aided by employing the ROMA (RapidOutcome Mapping Approach) concept which was introduced byAmaldo Pellin in 2004 depicted by the following diagram below.This just serves to emphasize the point that advocacy is abetter safeguard of liberty than a standing army.

Rapid Outcome Mapping Approach

79

In the whole process the trade union leaders must think the waypoliticians think realise that the engagement may achieve discursivechange, procedural change, attitudinal change content or behaviour.

However we are a long way off to achieving development which isabout expanding the choices people have, to lead lives that theyvalue, and improving the human condition so that people have thechance to lead full lives is not anticipated in a long time . Humandevelopment is about much more than economic growth, which is only ameans of enlarging people’s choices and it is about enlarging thesechoices and building human capabilities which this system does notseem to be providing.

The Trade union movement is also called upon to do an analysis ofthe its situation with a view to ensure that it has capabilities tofight for the substantive freedoms workers and the working classwhich lead to development which disperses the concentration of thedistribution of goods and services that underprivileged people needthrough redistributive policies.

80

Map political contextIdentify stake holders Identify desired behaviour Develop StrategyAnalyse internal capacities (SWOT)Establish position and alignmentEngageMonitoring & Evaluation

The trade union movement from all its facets needs capacities toconvince the policy makers that if we enable growth and empowerpeople to pursue many different life paths, as well as develophuman capabilities will lead long and healthy lives, to beknowledgeable (e.g., to be educated), to have access to theresources and social services needed for a decent standard ofliving, and to be able to participate in the life of the community.Without these, many choices are simply not available, and manyopportunities in life remain inaccessible.

Thus the workers and the working class expectations can be concludedwith a view to reducing the disparities between the rich and thepoor

Human Development Magazine 20-02-2014

81

Decent Work and decent

life

Long Life

opportunities&Skills

Development

income

Income Index

Access to information & knowledge

Education

social services

Acces facilities

Education Index

Decent standard of

living

HealthShelter

Food Security

Health Index

15. BibliographyDer Spiegel issue 43 Models of Society 2007

Bjorn Beckman Empowerment or repression 1992

Tony Lane The Union Makes Us Strong – Politics & Trade Unionism 1974

The General Secretaries of the Affiliates of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions 2013

15. Attachments

82

Southern Africa Trade Union Coordination CouncilObservation Mission to the Zimbabwe Harmonised

Elections of 31st July 2013

Preliminary Statement

4 August 2013 Cresta Jameson Hotel, Harare, Zimbabwe

Southern Africa Trade UnionCoordination Council

P.O. Box 601557, 5071 Kabelo Way, Extension 10, Gaborone, Botswana Tel: +267 390 1449/ 3160401 Fax: +267 3184453

Introduction

The Southern Africa Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC) representing 19 national trade union federations in 13 Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries with a combined membership 6 million working women and men deployed 27 observers to the 6 major provinces of Zimbabwe to observe the conduct of the 2013 harmonised elections.

The SATUCC observer team comprising 21 senior trade union officials drawn from SATUCC affiliates arrived in Harare on 29July 2013 and immediately started their observation work on 30July 2013 after receiving accreditation credentials from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The SATUCC observer team was complimented by 5 local observers from our affiliate in Zimbabwe the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).

83

Our approach and methodology sought to observe 2013 harmonisedelections pre, during and post phases of the election process.Due to late arrival our pre elections assessment is largely informed by reports and statements of our affiliate and other election based networks and social movements in Zimbabwe including the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN).

During the polling day 31st July 2013 the SATUCC observer team covered a total of 87 polling stations in various wards and constituencies in the 6 provinces of Zimbabwe. After the polling day 1st August 2013 SATUCC observer team again went around a number of polling stations and wards.

Statement of Observations

Our preliminary observations are the following;

1. The 2013 harmonised elections were largely conducted in acalm and peaceful environment compared to the 2008elections. In this regard it can be safely concluded theZimbabwe harmonised elections generally peaceful despiteisolated cases of intimidation of voters being reportedmanly in the rural areas.

84

2. However, the credibility of the harmonised elections isgreatly compromised by the failure by the ZEC and theOffice of the Registrar-General of Voters to release andmake available both the electronic and hard copies of thevoters roll to contesting political partners until on theeve of the voting day. The Zimbabwe Electoral Act statesthat the Commission (ZEC) shall within, a reasonableperiod of time shall provide the voters roll andprovision of copies to political parties and indeed anyinterested groups or individuals.

3. In all the 87 polling station visited SATUCC observerteam witnessed a number of voters being turned away asthey could not be found on the voters roll and in a fewcases because they found themselves at the wrong ward asin most cases the voting registration slip did notindicate the ward number. This seemingly systematic trendat almost each polling station visited disenfranchised ahuge number of voters now estimated at about a millionvoters by ZESN again compromising the credibility as wellas the fairness of the elections.

4. The 2013 Zimbabwe harmonised elections also failed tomeet a number of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections among them the following; (i) full participation of citizens in political processes for reasons cited in 2 and 3 above; (ii)equal opportunity forall political parties access state media; (iii) equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for; and (iv) voter education.

5. The preparedness of ZEC to conduct free and fairelections is called to question as reflected in theseveral shortcomings in the preparations for the pollsand during the polling day. This view was equallyexpressed by the African Union (AU) as well as the SADC.The Extra Ordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State and

85

Government held in Maputo on 15 June 2013 whileacknowledging the ruling of the Constitutional Court ofZimbabwe on the elections date agreed on the need for theGovernment of Zimbabwe to engage the Constitutional Courtto seek more time beyond 31 July 2013 deadline forholding the Harmonised Elections to among other thingsaddress the recommendations of the report of the SADCFacilitator President Jacob Zuma on Zimbabwe PoliticalDialogue ensuring the full implementation of the (GlobalPolitical Agreement (GPA) in Zimbabwe. Summit furtherurged the three parties to the GPA to undertake immediatemeasures to create a conducive environment for theholding of peaceful, credible, free and fair elections.Notwithstanding all this being not being in place theelection date remained unchanged as determined by theConstitutional Court.

6. On the regional dimension, SADC has not provided the muchneeded leadership and strongly pressure the Government ofZimbabwe but quickly u-turned to accept the stand of theZimbabwe Government with SADC advance observer missionindicating satisfaction with the Harmonised Electionspreparations. The lack of consistence on the part of SADCis rather disappointing because it was the same SADCwhich sought the delay of the Harmonised Elections inZimbabwe on account of the state of preparedness to holdpeaceful, credible, free and fair elections. Thisdevelopment has the potential of encouraging disputedelections in the SADC region.

7. SATUCC strongly feels that SADC must show consistence andcoherence and ensure Member States uphold the values andprinciples upon which it was established. Only then shallthe SADC citizenry have trust and confidence in theirregional institution. The rules must be clear to statethat a Member State in SADC cannot claim to be a memberand at the same time defy all the values and principlesof the Organization.

8. In the view of the above SATUCC concludes that the 2013harmonised elections to large extent lack credibility and

86

fail to pass the free and fairness test. At the same timewe commend the people of Zimbabwe for having held alargely peaceful voting.

Issued in Harare on 3rd August, 2013.

TOWARDS ELECTORIAL DEMOCRACY IN ZIMBABWE

ZCTU POSITION ON ELECTIONS: 2013

I. INTRODUCTION

The trade union movement in Zimbabwe has been playing a critical role in

the struggle for democracy in both the pre-independence and post-

independence era. Many nationalist leaders in pre-independence started off

as active trade unionists and then politicians. In post-independence

Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) was at the fore

front of championing democracy and multi-party dispensation when the then

87

ruling party was toying with the idea of a one party state in the late

eighties. More recently, the labour movement was at the forefront of the

creation of a viable national alternative opposition party, thereby

nurturing Zimbabwe’s multiparty democracy.

Following disputed elections of 2008, the then opposition party, the MDC-T,

after signing the Global Political Agreement (GPA) became part of the

ruling elite.

One of the most important rallying points during the struggle for

independence, besides the land, was for the “universal adult franchise” or

“one man one vote”. Thirty years after Independence, that rallying point of

“one man one vote” has been seriously undermined as Zimbabwe has failed to

deliver a free and fair election.

It is clear that free, fair and transparent elections are a necessary

prerequisite for democracy. Elections enable citizens to elect their

representatives that govern them on their behalf. Regular free and fair

elections give both internal and domestic legitimacy to an elected

government. A flawed election can cause political instability.

One of the deliverables of the GPA is the New Constitution that would lead

to elections. The partners in Government, that is the Zanu PF and the two

MDCs have agreed on a Constitution that would be taken to a referendum and

then an election thereafter. The ZCTU also believes that the current

dysfunctional Government of National Unity can only be ended through an

election. But the election process has to meet minimum standards for it to

be credible. The ZCTU will not accept a flawed election.

II. THE GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT (GPA)

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions believes that the full implementation

of the Global Political Agreement is the key to holding free and fair

elections. The ZCTU notes with concern that there has been piece-meal

implementation of agreed positions on the GPA and some remain

unimplemented. These include the land audit; national healing and

reconciliation; the rule of law; freedom of expression, communication,

88

assembly and association; free political activity, the role of traditional

leaders, security of persons and prevention of violence; legislative

reforms(POSA and AIPPA remain) and non-partisan humanitarian food

assistance. The GPA was signed after the parties recognized and accepted

to “build a society free of violence, fear, intimidation, hatred,

patronage, corruption and founded on justice, fairness, openness,

transparency, dignity and equality”.

The parties also claimed that justice, fairness, openness, tolerance,

equality, non-discrimination and respect of all persons without regard to

race, race class, gender, ethnicity, language, religion, political opinion,

place of origin or birth are the bedrock of good governance.

It is in this spirit that the ZCTU call for the full implementation of the

provisions of the GPA if there is going to be a free and fair election.

III. INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ON ELECTIONS

Elections can only be free and fair in an environment of respect of human

life and dignity. There are various instruments that have specific sections

on elections and Zimbabwe has to respect them. The ZCTU will encourage

workers to go and vote in both the referendum and national elections if the

following International Instruments are followed:

a. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Rights: Article 21:

“Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his

country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.”

b. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):

article 25: “Every citizen shall have the right and opportunity,

….and without unreasonable restrictions a) to take part in the

conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen

representatives; b)to vote and be elected at genuine periodic

elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be

held by a secret ballot, guaranteeing the freedom of expression of

will of electors”

89

c. The African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights emphasizes on the

right to participate in accordance with the provision of the laws

d. The AU has also declarations on the principles governing democratic

elections

e. The African Unions’ New Partnership for Africa’ Development stresses

the need for free and fair elections

The ZCTU notes that at its 8th ordinary session of the AU held in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia on 30 July 2007, African governments committed themselves

to:

(i) Establish and strengthen independent and impartial national

electoral bodies responsible for the management of elections.

(ii) Establish and strengthen national mechanisms that redress election

related disputes in a timely manner.

(iii) Ensure fair and equitable access by contesting parties and

candidates to state controlled media during elections.

(iv) Ensure that there is a binding code of conduct governing legally

recognized political stakeholders, government and other political

actors prior, during and after elections. The code shall include a

commitment by political stakeholders to accept the results of the

election or challenge them in through exclusively legal channels

These are minimum standards set by the AU and our government needs to make

sure that they are adhered to during the coming elections.

More importantly, the SADC principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic

Elections were agreed upon at the Grand Baie Mauritius Summit, 16 – 17

August 2004 whose key provisions include to:

(i) Establish where none exist, appropriate institutions where issues

such as codes of conduct, citizenship, residency, age requirements

for eligible voters and compilation of voters’ registers, would be

addressed;

(ii) Establish impartial, all-inclusive, competent and accountable

national electoral bodies staffed by qualified personnel, as well

90

as competent legal entities including effective constitutional

courts to arbitrate in the event of disputes arising from the

conduct of elections;

(iii) Safeguard the human and civil liberties of all citizens including

the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, and

campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all

stakeholders, during electoral processes;

(iv) Take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent the

perpetration of fraud, rigging or any other illegal practices

throughout the whole electoral process, in order to maintain peace

and security;

(v) Ensure the availability of adequate logistics and resources for

carrying out democratic elections;

(vi) Ensure that adequate security is provided to all parties

participating in elections;

(vii) Ensure the transparency and integrity of the entire electoral

process by facilitating the deployment of representatives of

political parties and individual candidates at polling and

counting stations and by accrediting national and/other

observers/monitors;

(viii) Encourage the participation of women, disabled and youth in

all aspects of the electoral process in accordance with the

national laws;

IV. ESSENTIAL PREREQISITIES

Besides the above important instruments whose contents Zimbabwe has to

follow, there are certain prerequisites that have to be followed if we are

to have a free and undisputed election

(i).The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC):

There is need for a strong, independent ZEC managed by non partisan

management staff. ZEC staff must be impartial in the performance of their

duties. There is belief that ZEC has been politicized and militarized and

that the senior managers are politically biased. These must be replaced.

91

(ii).Overhaul of draconian laws:

There is still great concern that we are going into an election with laws

such as POSA and AIPPA which curtail freedom of assembly, association,

speech and media freedom in our statutes books. There is still time for

them to be worked upon in order to have free and fair elections.

(iii). Environment of violence:

There must be zero tolerance to violence, intimidation and harassment of

opponents and subsequently no presidential amnesties for perpetrators of

violence after elections so as to discourage impunity.

The police must be non-partisan in the enforcement of the law.

(iv). Freedom to campaign:

Political parties must campaign freely and voters must freely express

their electoral choices without intimidation and reprisals. The situation

where some areas are called “No go” areas must be stopped.

(v). Party Election Agents:

During the 2008 elections, there was a lot of violence perpetrated on party

election agents. The State has an obligation to protect everyone and this

must be seen to be done.

(vi). Electoral Roll:

No credible elections can take place with a voters’ roll in tatters. The

current voters’ roll is inaccurate and distorted and it needs complete

overhaul before the elections. There are reports of duplicate entries,

voters enrolled in wrong constituencies, eligible voters being left off,

and, dead persons. The roll must also be available free of charge to

polling agents, observers and political parties.

(vii). Voter Registration:

The process should be moved with speed and transparency. There are reports

of people who are frustrated whenever they want to register. Ideally, voter

92

registration should be removed from the Registrar-General’s Office and

taken over by the ZEC.

(viii). Ballot Papers:

To avoid speculation of cheating, ZEC must promptly disclose the number of

ballot papers printed for an election and to disclose other such

information, for example the number of ballot-boxes issued to each polling

station.

(ix). Counting and Tabulation of Results:

Counting and tabulation of results must be properly done within the

provisions of the Electoral Act. The counting and collation processes

should be done in the presence of candidates or their polling agents. After

counting of the votes and posting of results outside polling stations,

results must be sent to the Ward Collation Centre where they are collated

and verified. The ZCTU still believes that collated results should be

posted outside the Ward Centers. These results should be immediately

transmitted to the constituency elections officer for collation and

verification who will declare the results and post them outside the

Constituency Collation Centre.

These processes must be done efficiently and expeditiously after polling

has taken place with no unreasonable delay in announcing the results. Any

recounts of votes should only take place after the announcement of the

results.

(x). Observers:

Observation of elections is an important aspect of the electoral process as

it lends credibility to the process. Local and international observers

should be free to observe all elections. This should not only be on the day

of elections, but they should be free to observe during the lead up period

to the referendum and elections. They should be free to observe the voting

process and the collation and announcement of results and the period

following the announcement of results. The accreditation of observers

93

should fall under the management and control of ZEC. There is also need to

remove veto power of Justice and Foreign Ministers to exclude persons or

organizations government does not want to observe elections.

(xi). Media Coverage

The public media in Zimbabwe continues to unashamedly parrot one party

stance. Both the print and electronic media must be opened up to all

political parties. In particular, the ZBC should also be transformed from a

highly partisan broadcaster into a genuinely public broadcaster that will

cover elections on a fair and balanced basis.

(xii). The security forces:

The security forces must be as impartial as possible. Members of the

security forces must stay away from political parties’ campaign and must

desist from uttering words that may be deemed to intimidate or supportive

of other political parties. In fact such officers must be summarily be

dismissed and disciplinary action taken against them. On the day of

elections, the police must not be deployed inside polling stations as this

would intimidate voters. Voters in need of assistance should be helped by a

relative or friend. Police officers should not be present.

Over the past years, there has been militarization of civilian

institutions, including the then Zimbabwe Election Commission. This has to

be stopped if Zimbabwe is to have a free and fair election.

(xiii). Voter information and voter education:

The public has the right to all information on the voting process. This

include registration and place of voting. Civic organizations must be

allowed to circulate information to the public to help members of the

public to make informed decisions. Ideally, all material must be printed in

all official local languages.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

94

2014 Labour Perspective of the policy dialogue and parliament engagement1

Documents

Transcript of 2014 Labour Perspective of the policy dialogue and parliament engagement1