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Mr Mwonzora

Felex Share Herald Reporter
MDC-T was banking on the failure of salary negotiations between Government and civil servants to incite unrest in the country, it has emerged.
Government and civil servants, however, reached a deal on Monday thus dashing those hopes.
MDC-T allegedly tried to use the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and losing 2013 National Assembly candidate for Mberengwa North Mr Takavafira Zhou to engage civil servants’ representatives.

Mr Zhou is president of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, a member of the Apex Council. Both Mr Zhou and Mr Raymond Majongwe, the president of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, confirmed the plot yesterday and said they had snubbed MDC-T.

MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai met ZCTU officials as civil servants negotiated a salary increment with Government. Mr Majongwe said they had rebuffed MDC-T’s approaches.

“We have serious ideological differences with the MDC-T and other unions. Ours is a labour issue and by calling for a strike we wanted to confront the Government of the day. We have refused to be used by the MDC-T and when we saw their inroads last week we told them to use their own structures and programmes to confront Government, not civil servants.

“If it means being restless we will remain like that until we talk and agree with the employer,” he said.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said unions were “well alive to their machinations”.

“After their (MDC-T) meeting with ZCTU, as an affiliate of the labour body, we raised concerns and wanted to be appraised on the matter considering it had come at a time we were having negotiations. What we collected from the president (George Nkiwane) was that the meeting was at the insistence of the MDC-T where they were trying to court the workers to their side.

“ZCTU rejected to be used and they parted ways. We want a ZCTU that is apolitical and not an appendage of any political party,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu said calls for a strike by the PTUZ last week were a clear demonstration that someone was pushing them.

“Throughout last week’s negotiations, Majongwe was trying to whip the emotions of the Apex Council so that reason does not prevail but he did not succeed.

“That is why in the media he came out saying he felt lonely in the negotiations. It is because he was lost in the system.”
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora said the party did not want to incite civil servants but wanted the workers “to demand their rights”.

“Our intention is always to fight for the rights of the workers because we want them to come out of poverty and misery. We want better conditions for the worker and what we simply want is the fulfilment of promises made to the people during elections,” he said.

ZCTU acting secretary-general Mr Gideon Shoko claimed their meeting with MDC-T was about elections. But Teachers Union of Zimbabwe chief executive Mr Manuel Nyawo said: “It is not a secret that our colleagues have, in the past weeks of salary negotiations with Government, tried to push us to their side. We have never at any time taken interest with any opposition political party. Misguided elements will never brain twist us to the advantage of their political masters.”

Mr Zhou said contesting the 2013 elections on an MDC-T ticket was not an issue.
“Do not treat us with the same brush as we differ in ideologies. This (contesting) is an individual decision and the failure to adequately pay the workers does not absolve the MDC-T because for four years they were in Government they did nothing for the worker. Now that they are out of Government they want to throw stones to their colleagues in Government.”