/ 1 January 2002

Cosatu slams Zim union arrests

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has condemned Monday’s arrest of the Secretary General and seven other officials of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions(ZCTU).

Cosatu said that according to its information, Wellington Chibebe and his comrades are still being held in Harare without charge.

”We call on the government and security establishment of Zimbabwe to release the trade unionists immediately.”

The federation said it concerns them, as it should concern every human rights activist, that these arrests should happen on the eve of International Human Rights Day, celebrated yesterday on December 10.

”Zimbabwe’s government should forthwith cease its wanton intimidation of independent trade unionists and other components of civil society,” said a statement from Cosatu.

The arrests are in clear violation of International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on free association and other fundamental labour and human rights.

”We call on our government, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the African Union to intervene immediately to protect fundamental human rights in the region.

By so doing our governments will demonstrate their unequivocal commitment to the founding principles of the African Union (AU) and the peer review structures proposed in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).” – I-Net Bridge