"Zimbabwe's Mine Workers Subjected To Modern Day Slavery"
The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) says there is nothing to celebrate on this year’s Workers Day, saying mine workers are subjected to “Chibharo” a form of modern-day slavery.
The country is also reeling from the effects of climate change that is threatening lives and livelihoods.
In a statement celebrating the 2024 May Day this Wednesday, 01 May, ZDAMWU General Secretary Justice Chinhema said that the El Nino-induced drought which the country is facing has also affected the well-being of mine workers. He added:
[The] 2024 Workers Day has come at a moment when mine workers are fighting tooth and nail to reclaim their rights, for a living wage and protection against excessive exploitation.
We are at a critical stage of history where we are not retreating in confronting the mistreatment of workers and believe May Day should not only be an occasion for gatherings, but it should be a day to salute the mine workers for their continued sustenance of the economy and expression of a deep appreciation to them and those who died or have been injured at the workplace in mines across the country.
Chinhema pleaded with employers to prioritise the welfare of workers and for the government to ensure that mine workers are treated with dignity. He said:
The Government and employers in the sector need to lend an ear to the concerns of the mine workers as much as possible to see that they are addressed not the current situation where workers have been turned into slaves by employers, Mine workers have nothing to celebrate on this May Day as they are subjected to poor working conditions and ‘slave wages’ which have thrown them into abject poverty despite being a vital cog in our economy.
Some big mines are even failing to pay salaries when they are due even when production is stable. The welfare of mineworkers in the country has remained pitiful. Sadly, this year’s Workers Day comes against the background of poor safety and health in our workplaces.
We have cases of workers working for long hours in unsafe environments, earn as you work system introduced by some employers, casualization of labour across all mines- workers signing short-term fixed contracts when work of permanent is available, rampant labour broking being introduced by corrupt, greedy managers taking over labour at companies they manage to pay slave wages while they earn huge.
This is a form of CHIBHARO which has been modernized. Poor provision of accommodation in some areas companies are building dormitories for workers.
Mine workers have nothing to show for themselves as their houses including rural homes because of the colonial set-up of compounding.
Chinhema warned that workers have decided “enough is enough” and will organise and protect their rights against exploitation. He said:
While we await our time to be part of the NEC Collective Bargaining where we shall immediately push for the amendment of all the various statutes currently being used by the NEC because they are all outdated, it is a travesty of labour justice that we are still using a CBA OF 1990.
Our call is and it remains a reform of the National Employment Council (NEC) so that it not only serves the mine workers but also serves its purpose.
As ZDAMWU we would like to reiterate that mine workers’ welfare is the reason for our existence. As a union, we shall be pushing for the implementation of ILO C176 in Zimbabwe and other existing safety and health laws.
We need to continue pushing for the criminalization of deliberate cause of accidents particularly where it is proved that the employer has failed to comply with the safety rules and regulations.
ZDAMWU said it has put in place a Sexual Harassment policy to address gender-based violence and sexual harassment in mines and mining communities. Said Chinhema:
We are cognizant of the challenges being faced by female mine workers in the country. As a union, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to protect the rights of female mine workers.
The union is committed to the emancipation of women both in the world of work and outside. We have recognised the challenges women face in general and have put measures and programs in place to address such anomalies and the emancipation of women workers in particular.
We have now put in place a Gender & Sexual Harassment policy that seeks to address gender-based violence and sexual harassment in mines and mining communities.
Campaigns will be rolled at the mine level, and communities as well as pushing through the works council for workplace policy on Sexual Harassment, Gender Based Violence in the world of work.
More: Pindula News
