By Alois Vinga

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) president, Nelson Chamisa, has vowed to revamp the Tripartite Negotiation Forum (TNF) and improve workers’ welfare once he assumes office.

In an update on Twitter to mark this year’s Workers’ Day commemorations, the opposition leader said Zimbabwe’s workers have suffered enough, hence the need to enact proper reforms.

“As the next and the incoming government, we guarantee a decent living wage with a starting minimum wage of US$540 for the lowest civil servant. We will also create a conducive environment, which fosters business growth and attracts both domestic and foreign investment -the key levers of job creation,” he said.

He vowed to undertake massive reforms of the state owned enterprises with a view to place them as key enablers and actors of economic transformation and employment creation.

“We will also strengthen  the TNF so that it becomes a serious vehicle for negotiations for Government, Employers and Employees,” he said.

1/PAY WORKERS A LIVING WAGE:
WORKERS’ DAY is a special day to appreciate,salute &celebrate the amazing efforts,resilience and endurance of all the hard pressed workers who gave & continue to give their sweat and blood to building our ZIMBABWE great even under difficult and times

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) May 1, 2022

He called for the respect of historic struggle and militant tradition of the labour movement in Zimbabwe, which has won us many victories that we still enjoy up to this day through the likes of Burombo, Masotsha Ndlovu, Jamela , Mzingeli, Nkomo, Sibanda, Tsvangirai, Matombo, Nkiwane, Chibebe and Mutasa .

Chamisa bemoaned the fact that the current ‘real market’ exchange rate is ZW$400 to US$1, which effectively means that workers’ salaries are seriously eroded by both inflation and exchange spiral, but authorities are unwilling to give workers a correct living wage.

“Likewise, employers’ capacity to pay real wages to workers has been constrained by draconian government policies which, inter alia, include excessive distortions and corruption and punitive exchange rate regimes and excessive taxes,” he said.

He added that the key to providing a living wage, restoring workers’ dignity and getting rid of the old, rotten and parasitic system sucking life out of workers is electing a Citizens government that puts workers’ welfare first and prioritizes dignity at the heart of governance and all policy decisions