South africa, uganda ghana, south africa friedrichebertstiftung international trade union cooperation brie. The war of 191418 is a period of its own, in which the. Some of the most important functions of the trade union are as follows. Establishing contacts between the workers and the employers iv. I believe it meets the pressing needs i have mentioned. Historically, african labour unions, at first were an importing driving force of the anticolonial lib. As a result, the labour market was characterized by a strong racial division of labour that would persist for decades to come. As civil society agents, unions may promote democracy within the wider society, especially in the case of authoritarian regimes or other rigid political systems, by acting as watchdogs and protecting hardwon democratic gains. These represent nonmanual occupations for example teaching, banking etc. Right to form trade unions or employers organizations. The former general secretary was morgan tsvangirai. Pdf the rise and fall of trade unionism in zimbabwe, part i. Trade unions were also formed in the export enclaves of the mining industry e. Trade unions in africa are weak organisations with many internal problems.
Although instrumental in the formation in 1999 of the oppo. Young workers have immense potential to revive unions in zimbabwe. Zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu4 the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu was founded in 1981 and formally consists of 31 affiliated trade unions. The zctu was formed on february 28, 1981 through the merger.
Mainly, the challenges discussed here are related to. Trapped between an ongoing informalisation of the african economies on the one hand and the consequences of. Zimbabwe labour market profile 2014 executive summary zimbabwe implemented elections in july 20 and robert mugabe won the election. The general secretary of zctu is wellington chibebe and the. In india, as in many other countries of southeast asia, the trade union movement has been pre. 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 or more trade unions.
Trade unions zctu and the zimbabwe federation of trade. We recognise and appreciate the significance of this great day to all zimbabweans and in particular the role played by freedom fighters and the masses to liberate this country. Except for those in security services, workers are allowed to form unions and to participate in the lawful activities of those unions and organisations. Unions create democratic space in zimbabwe solidarity center. Right of membership of registered trade unions and employers organizations. Firstly, trade unions usually function as significant collective interest groups whose role is fundamental to the reproduction of the economy. Aippa broadcasting services act posa, besides having a section on the media, the gpa also gave fruition to the zimbabwe media commission zmcand under the constitution of zimbabwe, one of the major functions of the media is to ensure that the people of zimbabwe have equitable and. Congress of trade unions zctu became increasingly and vocally opposed to the government in the 1990s and has played a critical civil society. The relative merits of industrial unions over the craft and general unions are well known. In the case of zimbabwe, unions took the lead in creating an alternative alliance in opposition to a repressive state. This workshop starts the process to strengthen youth capacity for trade union work. Several commentators have touted grassroots social movements as the future of human rights. The core foundation of collective bargaining legislation in south africa was the industrial. A stud oyf african trade unionism in the union of south africa is as difficult as it is urgent.
However, mugabe and zanupf claimed victory over the mdc in parliamentary elections in 2002 and 2005, as well as in a 2002 presidential poll. Below is a list of various trade unions and their descriptions. Zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu zctu message to mark zimbabwes 40th independence day today, 18 april 2020, the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu joins the rest of zimbabweans in celebrating the countrys 40th independence anniversary. Their relevance, particularly that of the zctu is diminished by the perception that it.
This southern african country of 12 million people has been rocked by strike action throughout the1990s. Trade unions and party politics provides a finely tuned critique of the impact achieved by these strategies, within the context of both the unique forces shaping them and the looming shadow of the new global economy. 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. It is often alleged that the weakness of french trade unions in mobilisations is due, in part, to poor cohesion between and within the union movements le queue and sainsaulieu, 2010. Click here for the annual survey of violations of trade unions rights in zambia for 2011. All three elections were seriously marred by political. Provided that the membership of the board shall not exceed twenty. It is expected that the present research findings will add new knowledge to the existing literature on the subject which may benefit the industrial relation system in india. The united states embassy in harare which has always had a keen interest in the labour movement in zimbabwe carried out a twopart analysis of the labour movement barely two months after the formation of the inclusive government. An overview of womens work and employment in zimbabwe. Challenges facing trade unions in the modern society the. Pdf what are the main challenges faced by trade unions. A trade union is an organization based on membership of employees in various trades, occupations and professions, whose major focus is the representation of its members at the workplace and in the wider society. Affiliates from the zimbabwe congress of trade unions also attended the workshop.
Any organization which fits the definition is required by the act to apply for registration as a union within 1 month of its establishment. Zimbabwe federation of trade unions archives zimbabwe. Trade unions are associations of workers formed to represent their interests and improve their pay and working conditions. Zimbabwe zimbabwe congress of trade unions, zctu dans les anne. Challenges facing trade unions in the modern society are also discussed in this section.
In the above context, the primary aim of this study is to examine the politicization of the trade unions and its. Pdf the rise and fall of trade unionism in zimbabwe. Agricultural and plantation workers union of zimbabwe, one of the zctus 27. As clearly demonstrated a trade union can belong to more than one category. The decline in trade union density in the 21stcentury in. Workers struggles in zimbabwe one such case is that of zimbabwe, which forms the focus of this article.
Oct 11, 20 the libcom library contains nearly 20,000 articles. Raymond majongwe, secretary general of the progressive teachers union of. 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. Within the trade union movement in malawi, workers we is understood as learning activities and opportunities that are provided by trade unions primarily targeting the union membership. Zimbabwe congress of trade unions, trade unions, zimbabwe. 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. The board of governors comprises representatives of african governments and all donor countries to the acbf as well as the world bank, the african development bank, undp and. This period may be extended at the discretion of the registrar of trade union but it must not exceed 6 months. Increasing cooperation and wellbeing among workers ii.
Today, 18 april 2020, the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu joins the rest of zimbabweans in celebrating the countrys 40th independence anniversary. August, 1996 this project was funded under purchase order no. The years between 1989 and 1991 may be regarded as the period during which the zambia congress of trade unions zctu reached the height of its perceived influence in zambian politics. The role and influence of trade unions in the oecd david g. Over the past four years the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu has. Female participation in politics is low but growing. 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. Objectives, function, formation, regulation, rights and liabilities.
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. Trade unions in zimbabwe role, functions of workers. Blanchflower dartmouth college, national bureau of economic research and centre for economic performance, lse revised. Much will depend on the power struggle within the ruling party, the cohesion of the opp osition and the ability of the international community to seize the moment and re engage the country in a process of real and meaningful change. Since the 1990s ngos and other funders have plied funds into trade unions. Trade unions and democracy in zambia democracy in africa.
By richard muponde the zanu pfaligned zimbabwe federation of trade unions zftu yesterday urged the government to dialogue with labour to av. Progressive teachers union of zimbabwe ptuz whitecollar unions. What events take place and processes happen depend on a number of things. The trade union is any association or organization formed to represent or advance the interests of any employees or class thereof in respect of their employment. The education department at the malawi congress of trade unions mctu plays a pivotal. Agriculture and plantation workers union of zimbabwe gapwuz and horticulture, general agriculture and plantation workers union of zimbabwe hgapwuz herein referred to as the employees or the trade unions, of the other part, being parties to the national employment council for the agricultural industry of zimbabwe to. The target of succeeding governments, political factions, employers, and economic policies, trade unions have faced these challenges armed with weak. Aug 15, 2017 african capacity building foundation harare, zimbabwe to be the leading african institution, in partnership with other stakeholders, in building sustainable capacity for good governance and poverty reduction in africa. I am especially glad that the policy was developed in consultation with the county. An analysis of trade unions in zimbabwe by the united states.
To support and fasttrack processes of policyformulation and awarenessraising on climate change within unions, the itucafrica is running training programmes in the. As a result, for the most part, they have lost organic contact with union rankand file members. Trade union struggles for autonomy and democracy in zimbabwe. An analysis of trade unions in zimbabwe by the united. The reason why the trade unions were chosen as a focus of the research are numerous. Trade unions working for the progress of the employees v. Trade unionism and academic freedom in zimbabwe abstract the end of the last decade has been occupied with pessimism about the role of ngos in the promotion and protection of human rights. The general secretary of zctu is wellington chibebe and the president is lovemore matombo. Trade unions in an emerging economy the case of south africa.
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. These funds are controlled by the union leaderships. Trade unions in zimbabwe role, functions of workers union. If its your first time on the site, or youre looking for something specific, it can be difficult to know where to start. Comparisons with lesotho dave cooper roger southalls article on trade unions in lesotho in the recent issue of salb is most welcome. In 2009 militia and war veterans trained by zanupf continued to harass and intimidate members of the opposition, trade unions, and others. Zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu 8th ordinary conference 29 september 1 october 2016, pandhari hotel, harare resolutions we, the delegates attending the zimbabwe congress of trade unions 8th ordinary conference held at pandhari hotel in harare from 29 september 2016 1 october 2016. Trade union services and benefits in africa edited by. The media in zimbabwe is governed by a number oflaws namely. Trade unions in zimbabwe and their types there are a number of trade unions that operate in zimbabwe. Types of trade unions free zimsec revision notes and. The zctu and the zimbabwe federation of trade unions zftu both seem to have lost the plot. Gertrude hambira, secretary general of the general agriculture and plantation.
This research was largely conducted in the course of my doctoral thesis, defended at the london school of economics in 2002. Zctu has played an active political role in the democratic development of zimbabwe. Unions have a wider social role beyond simply the workplace and are essential to the functioning of a healthy democracy. Trade unions can be categorized into different groups. Weak but feared by hubert rene schillinger march 2005 summary trade unions in africa are weak organisations with many internal problems. Congress of trade unions amongst workers in zimbabwe has taken a plunge. Firstly, the trade union movement in zimbabwe is paralysed. These included the labor act and other government documents, collective bargaining agree ments.
The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. The decline in trade union density in the 21stcentury in zimbabwe. Considerations relating to registration, variation, suspension or rescission of registration of trade unions or employers organizations. The labour movement was organisationally weak upon independence, and numerous wildcat strikes in 198081 were harshly crushed by the zimbabwe african national union government under. Trade unions and democracy explores the role of trade unions as products of, and agents for, democracy. Types of trade unions free zimsec revision notes and past. There are a number of trade unions that operate in zimbabwe. Union representing workers who share the same skillset or who perform identical tasks. All but one of these unions are formally affiliated. The zimbabwe congress of trade unions is the primary trade union federation in zimbabwe. Trade unions, development, and democratization in zambia. Pdf on apr 5, 20, paris yeros and others published the rise and fall of trade. Duty of full disclosure when financial incapacity alleged.
The paper concluded that disunity and politicization of trade union are major obstacles for the development of strong and stable trade unions which is. The rise and fall of trade unionism in zimbabwe, part i. I wish to thank sam moyo and brian raftopoulos for their advice, as well as staff at the institute of development studies university of zimbabwe and at the zimbabwe congress of trade unions for their assistance. A case of 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. Zimbabwe congress of trade unions phone and map of address. According to many of zimbabwe trade unions and the international trade union confederation ituc, the elections were not free and fair.
Jeffrey mutandare is a former president of the zctu. From an early stage, the establishment of a singleparty state was openly espoused see, inter alia, cliffe, mpofu and munslow, 1980. However, the extent to which democratisation and economic reform has been achieved has been strongly conditioned, on the one hand, by the weaknesses and. November 1996, the zimbabwe congress of trade unions. What is a trade union, and its functions definition of a trade union. The life of rural women is dominated by traditional practices, which grant very few rights to women. Young workers in zimbabwe engage on the future of unions. Sbu in zimbabwe there are two large organizations that. Trade unions in zimbabwe and their types free zimsec.
Below is a list of some of them and their categories. In accordance with the labour act, any group of employees may form or join a trade union or employers organization. The zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu emerged from under the wing of the ruling party in the second half of the 1980s to become the epicentre of organised opposi tional politics in zimbabwe. The insider has so far only been able to get part 1 of the analysis which was released by wikileaks. Unregistered trade unions and employers organizations. Introduction trade unions in malawi, just like the world over, provide various services to their membership. In the absence of strong collective bargaining systems, the wages and conditions of black labour, as distinct from those of the white labour. Position of the european union on sanctions against zimbabwe with reference to recent statements made by zimbabwean officials and underlined by the local press on the occasion of the recent sadc summit in dar es salaam, according to which the socalled sanctions imposed against zimbabwe by the eu have. Requirements for formation of trade unions and employers organizations. 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. Also, any group of trade unions or employers organizations may form a federation.