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ZFTU’s commemorations.
ZFTU held one commemoration in Harare following unification of three factions that had recently split.
MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai urged the spilt unions to unite and fight for a common cause.
“We hear of factions in workers’ unions when it should not be the case,” Mr Tsvangirai, who is also Prime Minister in the inclusive Government, said.

“Factions should only be found in politics and not in workers’ unions. The working class should not be divided on the basis of personalities, but should be united on the basis of class interests.
“It’s very imperative for us to always remember this day unites the workers than divide them.
“I appeal to the leadership some of whom I have high respect for, to come back and unite for a common cause.”

Government, PM Tsvangirai said, was concerned that a lot of companies had shut down, resulting in workers losing their jobs.
Since the imposition of the West’s illegal sanctions at the turn of the millennium, industry has been depressed driving many out of formal employment.
Mr Tsvangirai urged Treasury to continue pouring funds for distressed companies so that they can operate.
The premier said Government was also committed to social contract dialogue.

PM Tsvangirai, a former trade unionist, said the indigenisation and economic empowerment drive was going to scare away investors.
He said he also did not want the inclusive Government to continue adding that his party would only participate in elections when all the conditions set in the Global Political Agreement have been met.

Mr Tsvangirai urged ZCTU to campaign for free and fair elections.
He accused ZCTU of dumping MDC-T.

Mr Nkiwane said their doors were open for a unification of the ZCTU factions. Workers, he said, wanted salaries to be benchmarked above the poverty datum line.
“We should use the PDL when negotiating. Other economic variables can be used when we have achieved the PDL,” he said.
Mr Nkiwane said workers wanted Government to compensate for their money that was in the banks before the economy was dollarised.

“You can tell that our money had not been burned if you compare with the other monies. Where is our money? We want our money,” he said.
Labour and Social Services Minister Paurina Mpariwa said Government would continue to work towards better salaries for civil servants.
She said negotiations were going on well for the salaries to be improved.

The Matombo-led ZCTU faction had no kind words for PM Tsvangirai who snubbed their invitation.
Some described the PM as a “betrayer and Judas Iscariot” of the struggle of the workers while others said he was now behaving like a “vampire” ignoring the worker’s plight.

Secretary-general of the Matombo-led faction Mr Raymond Majongwe said they were fighting together with Mr Tsvangirai but of late he had decided to dump them.
He said by choosing to attend celebrations of one faction, Mr Tsvangirai was interfering with the labour movement.
“He (Mr Tsvangirai) was supposed to unite the ZCTU factions but he has chosen to split the workers’ union. We will not apologise for this because we have nothing to fear.

“Now we have small boys like Promise Mkwananzi (MDC-T Youth secretary general) who is also making unnecessary noise.
“We know that they are just hoping that one day Tsvangirai will rule and they will become the next Chipangano,” he said.
Mr Majongwe said leaders of the Nkiwane faction were never arrested for trade unionism but all of a sudden they had turned to be the darlings of the MDC-T leader.
MDC-T, he said, became more corrupt and abandoned workers when it joined the inclusive Government.

“To show that MDC-T is corrupt,  they are now suspending their mayors and councilors because they are looting,” he said.
Mr Matombo accused PM Tsvangirai of fueling factionalism in the labour movement.
“We thought that the PM can never be so stupid to be a divisionist. However, what happened today should not surprise us,” he said.

Mr Matombo also took a swipe at MDC-T organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa calling him a great liar who peddled falsehoods on pirate radio stations on Monday night.
“I heard Chamisa speaking on Studio 7 on Monday. I have never heard a person who lies like Chamisa,” he said.
Mr Matombo said the same grievances they fought against Zanu-PF were now being perpetuated by the MDC-T in the inclusive Government.

He said they would continue to fight for better salaries in line with the PDL before end of year.
Addressing workers at Mbare Netball Complex, ZFTU president Mr Jacob Gwavava castigated, what he called the alarming gap between the rich and the poor in the country.

The commemorations were held under the theme “Positioning the workers to benefit from the indigenisation of the economy, empowerment and Share Ownership Schemes.”
“This has created disparities because of the way wealth has been distributed, hence our support for the efforts to empower the ordinary men and women,” said Mr Gwavava.

He said that there was no equitable distribution of the salary bill in both the private and public sectors since 1980.
Mr Gwavava pointed out that executives are on salary levels that can only be described as institutionalised looting.
“There is no relative salary structure at most companies in the country. Five managerial employees can gobble 51 percent of the salary bill, while 300 junior workers share the remainder,” said Mr Gwavava.

He said it was the duty of the labour movement to fight for workers to benefit from the Government’s black empowerment and indigenisation policy.
ZFTU secretary-general Mr Bernard Dhanda said they had managed to identify subversive elements fuelling their splits that have since been weeded out.
A pressure group Mushandi Munhu Workers’ Federation yesterday joined ZFTU at the commemoration.
MMWF secretary-general Ms Elsy Zindi called for observance of labour laws, gender issues and child labour.

The Born Free Crew provided entertainment. Tynserv Distributors – represented by marketing supervisor Mr Richard Manhise – distributed free washing powder sachets, bath soap and camphor cream to every worker who attended.
In Chinhoyi the celebrations lined up by the two factions of the ZCTU yesterday were largely ignored by workers who went about their business.
Paltry crowds characterised the day with the hardest hit being the Nkiwane-led faction whose event went on in a virtually empty Chinhoyi Stadium.

The Matombo-led faction, which is supported by the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, had a PA system, food and opaque beer to attract people to its event at Cooksey Hall in town.

This managed to attract about 80 people who were addressed by the Matombo faction treasurer-general Mrs Emelda Mhuriro who read Matombo’s speech highlighting the need to link salaries to the PDL.
She bemoaned the “three-year salary” stagnation and the low monthly pension disbursements.
At Chinhoyi Stadium about 30 people gathered for the celebrations running under the theme “By Words and Deeds –Proud to be ZCTU” and supported by the Zimbabwe Teachers Association.

The majority of councillors in the MDC-T led council attended the event.

In Masvingo the faction ridden ZCTU held celebrations at Mucheke Stadium and at Masvingo Civic Centre.
At Mucheke stadium more than 500 people attended.  Mr Unganai Tarusenga from the Nkiwane faction delivered the keynote address.
At the Civic Centre the celebrations which were attended by less than 100 people marked the day with festivities.
Deputy Labour Minister Ms Monica Mutsvangwa presided over ZFTU celebrations at Gibo Stadium in Chiredzi.
The event was filled with entertainment from various acts.