Commentary: Talking for tomorrow

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محتوى الصفحة: Home > مجلة النقل الدولي "Transport International" > Issue 12 July 2003 > Commentary: Talking for tomorrow

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The future of Zimbabwe depends on better communication among trade union and political leaders, says Faray Makanda

The situation in Zimbabwe is bad. There is drought, there are price hikes on essential commodities, there are shortages of fuel, which create problems for transportation. But it is our country. We cannot run away.

The government has taken a hard position on the issue of land. This has created some problems, including the hiking of commodities and a shortage of foreign currency, as a result of which, fuel procurement companies are reluctant to bring fuel.

The majority of Zimbabweans live in the rural areas. Those people in towns, who are a bit more enlightened about politics and the economy, disagree with President Robert Mugabe's way of doing things. But the majority of Zimbabweans accept him because he has ensured that the land is being shared and given to them. The people who are currently ruling came from a war situation. Therefore the majority are still loyal to them.

One big problem for the trade unions in this situation is that a new union federation has formed which is in line with the government and which has undermined our own federation, the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). The government federation, the Zimbabwean Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) is made up of splinter unions formed by people who want to take chances.

Division and destruction

These splinter unions disturb the membership of the registered unions - we have lost over 3,000 members to them. They get political support and encouragement from the government. They have more freedom to operate than the established unions.

They can, without legal opposition, go into companies and force employers to abide by what they are saying. They use intimidation. They operate illegally, but with the unofficial recognition of the government.

Strikes are not allowed by law in Zimbabwe, except in exceptional circumstances. In the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), we educate people about the proper methods to follow before you can go on strike. We work with the National Employment Council (the employers' organisation), which takes care of the industry and ourselves.

But these splinter unions have been going to the companies and threatening to strike if their demands are not met, and that way they put their members at risk. In one of the biggest companies, the workers went on strike influenced by the splinter union and as a result, the majority lost their jobs. Management was happy to sack them.

In many ways, despite the difficulties in Zimbabwe, the established trade unions are still operating on the same basis as before. We are registered, and our collective bargaining rights remain the same.

Welfare comes first

Our main focus is not political, but on the welfare of our members, and our approach as a union is that we would rather put our effort into negotiating benefits for them. On the other hand, there are of course individuals in the union who want to be political and we say they are free to do so.

But when we come together in the union we are here for the workers, we are not here for political reasons.

When a national strike followed the general election late last year, it did not work for us, because the whole process was short circuited. In road transport we take care of taxis, commuter minibuses, buses, urban transport, and cross-border freight transport. For someone to come and say tomorrow we are stopping work, when some of our members are driving from South Africa, or Malawi or Zambia, or some are on their way out of the country - there is no way that can be successful.

Our executive has to give the go-ahead - we need time to consult with the membership and within the leadership. If that time is missing, that means the centre who called it has not approached us. We need time to go through procedures and make the case for any strike in terms of the welfare interests of our membership, rather than in terms of political interests. If a strike is clearly political in its nature, then that creates difficulties for us.

We have two major welfare concerns at this time - pay increases, which are lagging far behind what they should be, and HIV/AIDS. We have established a procedure whereby we take part of what we collect from our members to care for those workers who are affected by HIV or AIDS. We have five nurses, who work as advisers. They cannot supply medication, but only offer advice. The statutory instruments say it is the government which has to provide.

We encounter the problem of prejudice and unfair dismissal over HIV/AIDS. Employers are not allowed to check the status of workers, but workers do not always know this, and they may be told they are required to leave, or be checked by doctors. We encourage them to take action wherever we find that.

When we started working on HIV/AIDS we were doing it on or own, but after some time the government began collecting a levy for organisations who were having to pay for losing workers to the disease. But this has become political - some get it, some don't. The T&G has only received this benefit once. Yet we were the first organisation, 10 years ago, to begin working for our members on this issue.

The majority of our members are in town, which means the majority may be against the ruling party. But there is nothing we can do to change the situation. The Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has not taken a good stand on education. They should not start choosing unions for their use. They should move with all the unions - who all belong to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.

Education for change

One day, it will happen. The man will go. There are no two ways about it. But it is the way we are handling the situation that needs to be sharper. We in the trade unions must work harder to educate workers. The ZCTU brought in the opposition party (MDC) but now it has to work harder to approach people in a better way. You cannot call a strike for the MDC. People will not stop work if they are hungry. They will not understand what you want.

There are other leaders in Zimbabwe who are capable of seizing the political agenda and providing a new way forward. What is being destroyed in Zimbabwe is not Mugabe, or some people in the trade unions. It is our members, the ordinary people, who are suffering so much.

It seems like people outside don't know, or don't care, what is happening. World leaders should be bold enough to continue talking - whether they are Africans, British, Americans or Australians. I have fear because of what is happening. But it is not about fear. It is about what is right. We cannot leave the country to tear itself apart.

Faray Makanda is General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union of Zimbabwe.

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Issue 12 July 2003

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