Firstly, trade unions usually function as significant collective interest groups whose role is fundamental to the reproduction of the economy. History of zimbabwe lonely planet travel information. Workers struggles in zimbabwe one such case is that of zimbabwe, which forms the focus of this article. The study will trace the history of trade unions in zimbabwe from their formative age to. This first part covers the period 19901995, when the labour centre was in its most radical mode. In 1997, the then secretary general of the zimbabwe congress of trade unions, morgan. Trade unions in zimbabwe 87 known examples, but important developments have taken place in a number of other settings.
This research was largely conducted in the course of my doctoral thesis, defended at the london school of economics in 2002. Trade unions in zimbabwe and their types there are a number of trade unions that operate in zimbabwe. To discourage and oppose the formation of splinter trade unions in zimbabwe, or any other forms of worker disunity. State of gender balance in trade unions after noting that zimbabwe and trade unions have not been an exception to the trend of patriarchal practices and inequalities the congress resolved to. Developments in the industrial relations ir field in zimbabwe is not a pleasant story to tell. November 1996, the zimbabwe congress of trade unions.
In 1997, the then secretary general of the zimbabwe congress of trade unions, morgan tsvangirai, expressed the need for a more open and critical process of writing history in zimbabwe. The former general secretary was morgan tsvangirai. Zimbabwe zimbabwe congress of trade unions, zctu dans les anne. There are also private and governmentsponsored commercial banks, a development finance bank, and several merchant banks and discount houses. The formal labour market was also segmented such that while the workers in the private sector were governed by the industrial conciliation act, those in. It is the sole bank of issue and administers all monetary and exchange controls. The following is a list of major independent trade unions, which are solely accountable to their members and free from employer domination as it stood on 31 march 2012. The reason why the trade unions were chosen as a focus of the research are numerous. History of labor in zimbabwe before and after independence. These funds are controlled by the union leaderships.
Firstly, the trade union movement in zimbabwe is paralysed. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. This southern african country of 12 million people has been rocked by strike action throughout the1990s. Below is a list of some of them and their categories. In the first section, we will briefly discuss the history of trade unions, just to give the reader an idea of how it all started. Angry confrontations took place between veterans and government officials, who were jeered and threatened. Mar 07, 20 resistance has certainly been evident within zimbabwe, and the labour movement, organised under the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu, has been a conspicuous presence in these struggles, often acting in concert with a broad coalition of civil society actors. In the absence of strong collective bargaining systems, the wages and conditions of black labour, as distinct from those of the white labour aristocracy, were very poor. The congress of south african trade unions cosatu was launched on 1 december 1985, at the height of the struggle against apartheid. Africa, we can say that part of our history points to the importance played by organisations of workers in the fall of apartheid. Indeed, by 1987 the african labour movement, the form of in the congress of south african trade unions cosatu, was the single most powerful organised formation in the antiapartheid struggle in south africa3. What are the main challenges faced by trade unions and compare the efforts to overcome decline in at least two of the three countries analysed during the module.
Pdf on apr 5, 20, paris yeros and others published the rise and fall of trade unionism in zimbabwe, part i. The zctu was formed on february 28, 1981 through the merger of six trade union centres. Trade unions in south africa have a history dating back to the 1880s. The zimbabwe congress of trade unions is the primary trade union federation in zimbabwe. The colonial labour regime cemented and reproduced a strong reserve army of cheap black labour necessary for. To strive for the achievement of the highest possible percentage of membership and achievement of compulsory check off of trade union levies and dues in zimbabwe. The arrival, however, of the movement for democratic change mdc borne from the zimbabwe congress of trade unions brought waves of new hope and real opportunity for the end of mugabes era.
Whether temporary or permanent, primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workers and employers or between workers for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and includes the federations of two. The decline in trade union density in the 21stcentury in. Through the turbulent years of 19481991 trade unions played an important part in developing political and. Congress of trade unions amongst workers in zimbabwe has taken a plunge. A history of the labour movement in zimbabwe, 19001997. Trade unions in zimbabwe role, functions of workers union. Trade unions and democracy in zambia democracy in africa. The civil servant who exposed the scandal died a few weeks later, ostensibly of a suicide, but in the eyes of his family a possible murder. Challenges facing trade unions in the modern society are also discussed in this section.
The rise and fall of trade unionism in zimbabwe, part i. As a federation, it brought together many of the unions formed after the wave of strikes at the beginning of 1973 which marked a renewal of trade union activity after a decadelong lull. Since the 1990s ngos and other funders have plied funds into trade unions. The general secretary of zctu is wellington chibebe and the president is lovemore matombo. Trade unions in zimbabwe and their types free zimsec. That is trade unions, constituting a common interpretation and set of beliefs concerned with the problems confronting the workers and generalized programme of amelioration. Mainly, the challenges discussed here are related to. The final part presents some conclusions and policy recommendations.
The reserve bank of zimbabwe, located in harare, is the countrys central bank. Click here for the annual survey of violations of trade unions rights in zambia for 2011. Fourth, it explores the extent to which unions are able to influence hours of work. Jeffrey mutandare is a former president of the zctu. Objectives, function, formation, regulation, rights and liabilities. May 01, 2020 the zctu response to the impact of covid19 coronavirus on the zimbabwes economy and workers abridged version of the zctu input in the fight and mitigation against covid19 coronavirus gallery. Challenges facing trade unions in the modern society the. In fact it appears the historical fact of the labour movement providing a social. Trade unions freedom to join and form a union the constitution of zimbabwe allows freedom of association to all, provided that no person may compel any other person to join an association or to attend a meeting or gathering. Establishing the idea of functional types of unions. The study will trace the history of trade unions in zimbabwe from their formative age to the end of the 20th century, looking at the factors that contributed towards the thriving of trade unions before the decline in trade union density in the 21st century in zimbabwe. The decline in trade union density in the 21stcentury in zimbabwe. Jan 17, 2016 in the early 1954 there were trade unions in salisbury and bulawayo and also in other towns of southern rhodesia.
It is, thus, clear that no agency formed or promoted to look after the interests of the workers can be a real substitute for trade unions. A case of tanzania teachers union by mohamed mussa a dissertation submitted to mzumbe university dar es salaam campus college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of master of science in accounting and finance m sc. The institutionalisation of collective bargaining in zimbabwe. Pdf the rise and fall of trade unionism in zimbabwe. It was however necessary to unite all trade unions to one so that their effort is. Sbu in zimbabwe there are two large organizations that claim to represent trade unions, the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu and the zimbabwe. Pdf on apr 5, 20, paris yeros and others published the rise and fall of trade. What events take place and processes happen depend on a number of things. Any organization or group of workers established to achieve one or more of the objectives stated in trade union act is considered to have formed a trade union and therefore must conform to all. Trade unions in zimbabwe role, functions of workers.
Second, it examines the determinants of who actually belongs to a trade union across oecd countries. Trade union services and benefits in africa edited by. The zimbabwe congress of trade unions is at the centre of emancipatory, grassroots activism in zimbabwe, providing potential for a democratic, antineoliberal future. May 16, 2012 unions have a wider social role beyond simply the workplace and are essential to the functioning of a healthy democracy. Certainly, since colonization in 1890 and the inauguration of the capitalist enterprise, the country has never really enjoyed a free and sound or democratic industrial relations system. Third it estimates the effects of unions on relative wages. This article is the first of a twopart study on the evolution of the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu in the 1990s. Trade union, also called labor union, an association of workers in a particular trade, industry, or company created for the purpose of securing improvements in pay, benefits, working conditions, or social and political status through collective bargaining. Becoming zimbabwe is the first comprehensive history of zimbabwe, spanning the years from 850 to 2008.
Trade unions in zimbabwe 89 as investigations into widespread plundering of the fund by senior politicians took place. The paper will start with a brief historical overview that will show how postindependent labour. November 1996, the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu, the private sector union federation, tried to launch a twoday general strike in solidarity, although this failed due to largescale police intimidation and the weak grassroots structures of the zctu unions. Zimbabwe congress of trade union zctu qinisani bhebe1 and mildred mahapa2 abstract the study sought to investigate the reasons why the popularity of the zimbabwe congress of trade unions amongst workers in zimbabwe has taken a plunge. African trade union congress atuc, the national african trade union congress natuc, the trade union congress of zimbabwe tucz, the united trade unions of zimbabwe utuz, the zimbabwe federation of labour zfl and the zimbabwe trade union congress ztuc. The colonial political economy certainly required a repressive labour regime. Develop gender sensitive policies in the workplace and trade unions as well as gender sensitive trade union constitutions, programmes and. Agricultural and plantation workers union of zimbabwe, one of the zctus. This historical background is relevant because the zimbabwean government goz, beginning harare 00000275 002 of 007 in the mid1990s, adopted similar tactics for dealing with labor unions. The six union federations were soon merged into the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu in 1981. An analysis of trade unions in zimbabwe by the united states. Associated society of locomotive engineers and firemen aslef. Periods of trade union history although the periods into which we have divided the history. A number of opposition parties came and went between 1990 and 1997, most led by former rulingparty stalwarts.
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