by Rudo Saungweme
Citizens have raised great concern over Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU)’s intended national shutdown early in January at a time Government is making developments towards economic recovery. Citizens indicated that this is not the time to mobilise workers to do unproductive work but to unite with the Government and work together to stabilise the economy.
ZCTU President Peter Mutasa said, “This January, workers should just down tools. We should just stop working until there are economic reforms. You have seen what has happened with the doctors, we are going to see teachers doing the same, civil servants-we will be calling on all workers to stop working and demand economic reforms. So it is going to be a very sensitive January.”
Farai J Nhire attacked ZCTU in Newsday today indicating that the union should not mislead people who want to do their work. He added to say that parties who are serious with reviving the economy should first call for the lifting up of sanctions.
Nhire said, “Which workers do you represent who are going to down tools? I wonder how many of those in the public sector will listen to you since they would be risking their jobs all together. If they listen to these unions, the Government can simply fire them and recruit new workers. Political parties who are serious about reviving our economy will denounce illegal sanctions first and foremost and avoid supporting the kind of actions that violate international law,”
“Zimbabwe can only have lawful obligations to regional and not America. America has no legal basis of dictating policy to Zimbabwe under international law. Zimbabwe has had no problems with Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) and I wonder what lawful obligations Zimbabwe has yet to fulfil,” he said.
Citizens also made reference to the 2019 national budget presented by Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube, which ran under the theme “austere for prosperity”, saying that it is the right road to economic recovery.
Minister Ncube revised the country`s economic growth downwards as a result of the runaway inflation, and announced a raft of austerity measures to revive the economy.
Some of the austere measures includes cutting the wages for the President, ministers and senior government officials by 5 percent, cutting foreign travels and the civil service bill which stood at $300 million per month, by $60 million.
Professor Ncube speaking during an interview with the Sunday Mail on 14 October this year said, “Government wages are about $300 million a month, so if we are reducing that from 70 to 50 percent (of expenditure), we will save about $50 million to $60 million, which over time is what we would want to save on a monthly basis. This is the trajectory over the next three years.”
