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Felex Share and Columbus Mabika
Zimbabwe today joins the rest of the world in commemorating Workers’ Day amid calls for all workers to unite and support Government initiatives that focus on the attainment of Vision 2030.

On their part, workers want Government to root out corruption and put in place measures that will end rent-seeking behaviour by retailers who are wantonly increasing prices of basic commodities.

Civil servants will converge at the Harare Gardens for their main celebrations while the country’s two main trade unions, the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) and Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) will commemorate the day in Beitbridge and at Dzivarasekwa Stadium respectively in Harare.

The day has lost its lustre in the past years, with few people attending commemorations due to the politicisation of trade unionism in the country.

Speaking ahead of the commemorations, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Lovemore Matuke said Government was working flat out to deal with price hikes and profiteering which have affected the majority of workers.

“Last week President Mnangagwa said the prices increase madness should stop forthwith and urged businesses to have a human face by desisting from the act,” he said.

“The new administration led by President Mnangagwa has made the welfare of workers its top priority and is also working to ensure better relations between the private sector and the Government. This is in recognition of the unique role that workers play in delivering Government policies.”

He said Government was committed to zero tolerance to corruption.

“As encapsulated in the Second Republic plans, we are irrevocably committed to the creation of an effective, efficient, highly skilled, merit-driven and integrity-based public service.

“Our goal is to build a public sector management driven by professionalism, projects performance and zero tolerance to corruption because, that is the only way we can entrench good governance in the polity and needless to say. We need the support and cooperation of the labour movement to make this goal a reality,” he said.

He commended Zimbabwean workers for their dedication to duty saying “through their belief, sacrifice and hard work, we have managed to make great strides as a State since our Independence in 1980.”

Apex Council chairperson Mrs Cecelia Alexander said civil servants drive Government strategy and Vision 2030 will be achievable if the employer takes into account their concerns.

Mrs Cecelia Alexander

“Civil servants are major stakeholders as they drive Government strategy and implement Government policies,” she said.

“Our employer should then place importance of our welfare as we thrive to achieve Vision 2030 as a country.”

She said their salaries were being eroded by the ever escalating prices.

“We call upon the powers that be to make some interventions to alleviate the situation,” she said.

The Government workers will hold their celebrations under the theme: “Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement”.

ZFTU secretary-general Mr Kennias Shamuyarira called on all workers to support President Mnangagwa’s vision of making Zimbabwe an upper middle income economy by 2030.

“I call upon all workers to fight corruption at all levels as we are targeting attaining vision 2030,” he said.

He said the commemorations would focus on issues that have affected workers over the period.

The union will hold its commemorations under the theme “Cartels and proxies of international monopoly capital, your time is up”.

ZCTU secretary-general Mr Japhet Moyo called on Government to end the price madness which has eroded the workers’ buying power.

“We call upon the Government to lament the present unjustified price hikes, a situation that has left citizens and workers finding it difficult to stay afloat economically,” he said.

Mr Moyo said they will also up their campaign for health and safety issues at the workplace.