The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has pledged its support for a one-day strike in Zimbabwe organised for Wednesday, spokesperson Patrick Craven said in a statement.
Craven said on Tuesday that Cosatu supports the stayaway and the demands of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).
Craven explained the stayaway is in protest at the failure of the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) in Zimbabwe to talk to the ZCTU on some ”pertinent” issues.
”Now the workers have made it clear to the ZCTU that they are no longer interested in paying the subscriptions to the authority, as the benefits are very minimal,” he said.
Craven said the ZCTU demands a review of benefits for workers, an investigation into all investments made by the NSSA and the appointment of a ”substantive general manager” for the NSSA.
The federation union also demands that the authority should make its accounts available to the public.
He said Cosatu also supports the demand that the ZCTU’s president, Lovemore Matombo, be reinstated after he was dismissed from work in January for attending the Organisation of African Trade Unions unity congress.
The ZCTU has also demanded that 43 Zimbabwean workers suspended from their work for demonstrating against high taxation and victimisation of trade unionists be reinstated, Craven said.
”Cosatu also condemns the arrest of four activists of the ZCTU western region committee, who were picked up by police on February 18 in Bulawayo,” he said. — Sapa