US Ambassador Meets Govt Over Workers' Rights
The United States ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols has met officials in the Zimbabwean government to encourage them to respect workers’ rights.
This comes amid workers’ dissatisfaction over poor salaries and working conditions, a situation that has seen teachers refusing to go back to work when schools reopened on 28 September.
Workers have since last year embarked on a spate of demonstrations to register their displeasure in how the government responds to their grievances.
In a statement that was issued after meeting Labour Minister Paul Mavima, US ambassador Brian Nichols said:
I met with Labour Minister Mavima to encourage government and labour leaders to negotiate in good faith.
Respect for workers’ rights will help create a more prosperous Zimbabwe. We look forward to working with the ministry to eliminate child labour in tobacco and sugar cane farming. Children need education to thrive.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has urged its members to brace for a “general strike” aimed at forcing the government to restore their 2018 salaries.
The call was made after the government had made a 40percent increase to the cost of living adjustment meant to cushion workers from the adverse effects of the deepening economic crisis.
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