BY STAFF REPORTER  

VICTORIA FALLS — Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) President Florence Taruvinga has called for meaningful and sincere social dialogue between Government, employers and workers, saying agreements reached through tripartite engagement must be respected and implemented.

Addressing the High-Level Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) Global Summit in Victoria Falls, Taruvinga said workers remained central to Zimbabwe's economic development and should be actively involved in decisions shaping the country's economic future.

The summit is being held under the theme “Inclusive Growth, Decent Work, Beneficiation and Investment Promotion.”

Welcoming Acting President Dr Kembo Mohadi to the summit, Taruvinga said the presence of the country's leadership provided an important opportunity for Government to hear directly the concerns of organised labour.

“Workers continue to avail themselves for dialogue, but dialogue has to be meaningful. There has to be sincerity always, and the outcomes of the meetings that happen through dialogue should be respected and implemented,” she said.

Taruvinga placed the independence and effectiveness of National Employment Councils (NECs) high on organised labour's agenda.

She described NECs as important bipartite statutory institutions that provide a platform for employers and workers to negotiate conditions of employment within their respective sectors.

She called for the protection of the institutions from excessive interference and over-regulation, arguing that their independence was important for effective collective bargaining and industrial relations.

Taruvinga said organised labour would continue engaging Government over the recently announced reduction of levies within NECs.

The ZCTU president welcomed Government's push for beneficiation and value addition, saying Zimbabwe's mineral and agricultural wealth should be processed locally to create jobs and develop skills.

“By exporting, it means we are also exporting jobs,” Taruvinga said.

She said Zimbabwe's natural resources should generate employment, skills, technology development and stronger domestic supply chains.

She further called for domestic value addition to be placed at the centre of Zimbabwe's industrialisation strategy, arguing that local processing could create sustainable economic opportunities for citizens.

Taruvinga said organised labour was prepared to work with Government and employers in advancing a development trajectory centred on beneficiation and industrialisation.

Digitalisation must not cost workers their jobs

The rapid digitalisation of the economy was another major issue raised by Taruvinga.

She pointed to the banking sector, where technological developments are rapidly changing the way services are delivered, and called for the impact of such changes on workers to be addressed through social dialogue.

While acknowledging the importance of technological advancement, Taruvinga said workers must not be left to carry the burden of economic transformation alone.

She called for policies that integrate decent work, social protection, reskilling and upskilling into Zimbabwe's digital transformation agenda.

“The challenges that are going to be accompanied by the transition should not only be shouldered by workers, but collectively we should be in a position to dialogue on a win-win situation,” she said.

Taruvinga also highlighted the impact of climate change on workers, particularly those employed in agriculture, energy and manufacturing.

She called for a just transition towards a green economy, warning that workers in traditional energy industries should not be left without livelihoods as Zimbabwe transitions to cleaner energy.

“The shift to a green economy must intentionally birth green jobs that are secure, well-paying, safe and decent,” she said.

She called for workers to be reskilled and upskilled to enable them to participate in emerging green industries and new technologies.

According to Taruvinga, the availability of workers and enterprises with appropriate green skills would be critical to Zimbabwe's green transformation.

Formalisation must protect informal workers

The ZCTU president also spoke strongly on the country's large informal economy, particularly the challenges facing vendors and informal traders.

She welcomed the Government's National Informal Sector Formalisation Strategy but called for its implementation in a manner that protects livelihoods and respects the dignity of informal workers.

Taruvinga urged Government to implement the formalisation process in line with ILO Recommendation No. 204, which provides a framework for facilitating the transition from the informal to the formal economy.

She said formalisation should not simply mean removing informal workers from the streets without providing sustainable alternatives.

“We definitely condemn illegal activities, but we also strongly believe that as a collective we can find a realisation in making sure that the implementation of the national formalisation strategy with a human approach is put in place,” she said.

Taruvinga called for dialogue with the relevant Ministry over the implementation of measures aimed at removing vendors from streets and undesignated trading areas.

She said informal workers should be given opportunities to transition into the formal economy through access to social protection, finance, skills, markets and sustainable livelihoods.

As the summit deliberations move towards a conclusion, Taruvinga challenged delegates to ensure that the proposed Victoria Falls Declaration goes beyond broad resolutions and produces measurable commitments.

She said the declaration should clearly identify institutions responsible for implementation and establish realistic timelines and measurable indicators.

It should also establish monitoring mechanisms, include worker and employer participation and provide for regular reviews to identify challenges and correct areas where implementation may have gone off track.

“We must leave Victoria Falls with more than resolutions but commitments,” Taruvinga said.

Taruvinga commended the TNF Secretariat for organising the high-level summit but stressed that the forum must remain a genuine platform for social dialogue.

She said the TNF should not become a “talk shop” or a platform for rubber-stamping predetermined decisions.

Instead, she said, it should continue serving as a vehicle for genuine, transparent and binding social tripartism, with recommendations emerging from dialogue capable of being taken forward for implementation.

Taruvinga said organised labour was participating in the process in good faith and remained committed to engaging Government and employers in building shared prosperity.

She emphasised that Zimbabwe's economic transformation should ultimately translate into decent work, sustainable employment, social protection, skills development and improved living standards for workers and their families.

The ZCTU president concluded by calling for collective responsibility among Government, employers, workers and other stakeholders in building a prosperous Zimbabwe.

“We only have one Zimbabwe, which all of us have to play a clear role in,” she said.