Staff Reporter
Workers across the board whose salaries are paid in part with local RTGs component have demanded wholly indexed United States dollars.
The workers say the RTGs currency whose unofficial market rate surpassed the ZW$ 2400 over the weekend is now useless.
Speaking during May 1 commemorations organized by Progressive Commercial Trade and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, workers from various sectors reiterated that the RTGs currency is now a joke.
Progressive Commercial Trades and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, Hundushi Nhundu, reiterated that the struggle for workers has reached a crescendo.
He added that action need to be undertaken to salvage them from wallowing poverty.
“We are demanding that employers pay us exclusively in US$ going forward. Our proposed peg is US$440 which is half of the Poverty Datum Line. It is not a big demand,” he said, adding:
“Workers have suffered to an extent of dying of stress related illness because of meagre salaries and wages they are getting.”
“Furthermore, workers are reeling from high cost of living, inflation skyrocketing to alarming levels, corruption, policy inconsistencies and job security problems.
“The majority of workers are on fixed term and suffer long hours of work with no overtime paid, works council resolutions are not implemented, employers are being big bulls in a china shop because of high unemployment in the country.
“There is no to social protection by unscrupulous investors who are not providing protective clothing, right to maternity leave on full pay while sexual harassment and gender inequality have caused untold suffering to the vulnerable workers.”
Nhundu also reiterated that as the vanguard of the economy , the workers demand immediate amendment and coming in of the new Labour Act ,a speed up of policies by policy makers such as the TNF tripartite negotiating forum.
“The right to collective bargaining is lacking. The country has since dollarised and we demand salaries in US dollars because every enterprise and businesses are selling in hard currency and also using parallel market rate.
“Sadly, the same worker receiving money on behalf of the employer is getting and receiving salaries at interbank bank rates. Workers demand an inclusion in company discussions for workplace democracy to prevail,” said Nhundu.
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