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Raymond Majongwe

Tendai Mugabe and Tatenda Charamba—
Civil servants say they are considering calling off a strike they had planned for next Monday to demand their bonuses after realising that the industrial action could be hijacked by opportunists for political expediency. Union leaders distanced themselves from pronouncements made by shadowy groups like #Tajamuka and the so-called National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe that they would join the civil servants strike saying theirs was purely a labour issue that had nothing to do with opposition politics.

Mr Promise Mkwananzi of #Tajamuka and Mr Stendrick Zvorwadza, who claims to represent vendors, were quoted in the private media yesterday saying they would be joining the civil servants strike.

Opposition groups hijacked a civil servants’ strike last year and went on to claim they had successfully organised a stayaway, a feat they have not been able to achieve as all their attempted shutdowns have been monumental flops.

The latest attempted hijack follows an announcement by the European Union (EU) that it will release US$5 million to civil society organisations ostensibly to strengthen democratic participation and accountable monitoring by non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe.

Because of the plans to hijack the planned strike, the Apex Council – an umbrella body that represents Government workers – said it would meet in Harare today to reconsider its position.

As civil servants, Apex Council chairperson Mrs Cecilia Alexander said, they don’t share the same ideology with the rabble-rousers who wanted to hijack their strike.

She described the hijack attempt as an unfortunate development. “We need to sit down and reconsider our position and possibly come up with a different option,” said Mrs Alexander.

“Our issue is a labour issue and some people now want to politicise it. The idea of going to the streets may not be the best because it leaves room for these opportunists to hijack our process. As Apex Council, we are likely to meet on Friday to discuss the way forward.”

Mrs Alexander said they were willing to engage Government and it was important that the two parties meet before March 6, 2017 to discuss the bonus issue. Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu, said #Tajamuka and other shadowy groups of the same ilk wanted to use them.

“We don’t want to be used by people who are pursuing a different agenda,” he said.

“Civil servants want their rights and entitlement to be protected and our fight is on the issue of bonuses. We don’t want to be part of these opportunistic elements. They are opportunistic elements who want to infect our clean process.”

Mr Ndlovu challenged the quasi-political groups to organise their own strike if they believed that they had a following.

College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe president Mr David Dzatsunga, had no kind words for the civic organisations that wanted to hijack their strike.

“We have no relationship whatsoever with those civic organisations,” he said.

“We were actually taken by surprise. Our issue is strictly labour related. We are meeting on Friday to look at that development and see how best we can move forward. We are disappointed.”

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general Mr Raymond Majongwe said: “We have made our position clear. Tajamuka and vendors have nothing to do with our strike. I have a feeling that trade unions meet on their own to discuss their issues and no one interferes with their processes. This issue is between us and our employer.”

The remarks from the civil service unions left some shadowy organisations that wanted to use them as a shield to advance their political agendas with an egg on their faces.

Government has since committed to pay civil servants their bonuses.