HARARE – President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party will table a motion in Parliament demanding the sacking of Zimbabwe’s top union leaders, in what insiders say is the first step by the ruling party to annexing the powerful but pro-opposition labour movement.

 

In a motion to be moved by ZANU PF legislator for Makonde constituency Leo Mugabe – a close nephew of the Zimbabwean President – the party will request Parliament to ask Labour Minister Nicholas Goche to replace Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Lovemore Matombo and his entire team with a “new look management”.

 

ZANU PF insiders say the “new look management” team will comprise pro-government labour leaders at the moment forming a tiny minority within the ZCTU top echelons.

 

Mugabe, who accuses present ZCTU leaders of unethical conduct, violating foreign exchange laws and of abandoning workers to pursue politics, says in the proposed motion that a new union should “concentrate on its core business of representing workers rather (job) stayaways that have failed to address bread and butter issues in the country.”

 

According to Parliament’s order paper, the ruling party should have moved the motion in the House of Assembly last Tuesday but could not do so following adjournment of the House to October 31. The motion is most likely to be moved immediately when the House resumes. 

 

ZANU PF controls more than enough seats in both the Lower House and the Senate to carry the motion that could see the government effectively silence the ZCTU, which gave birth to the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party seven years ago. 

 

But the ZCTU yesterday vowed to resist moves by the ruling party or the government to either weaken or gain total control of the union by forcing out present leaders and replacing them with ZANU PF allies.

 

“The government and ruling party have failed to crush or dilute the power of the ZCTU now they are turning to abusing Parliament due to their majority in the house,” ZCTU spokesman Mlamuleli Sibanda said.

 

He added: “Now they want to deal with us politically but the ZCTU will always continue its mandate to represent workers by pointing out what is wrong or right as far as workers’ welfare is concerned in this country. Workers will never be intimidated by political threats.”

 

Neither Goche nor Mugabe was available yesterday for comment on the matter.

 

The ZCTU has remained a thorn on the side of the Harare administration organising demonstrations and job stayaways by workers to protest one of the severest ever economic crises in the world in recent times. 

 

But protests called by the ZCTU last month against worsening economic conditions stalled after the police staged a massive security operation, arresting 31 top leaders of the union who they also allegedly severely assaulted and tortured.

 

However tensions remain high as Zimbabwe grapples with an economic meltdown the ZCTU and the MDC blame on state mismanagement. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate in the world of more than 1 000 percent, skyrocketing unemployment, shortages of foreign currency, food, fuel, power and increasing poverty levels. - ZimOnline