BY ADMORE MARAMBANYIKA
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) now has a new leadership which was tasked to revive the labour body's waning status at its 8th elective congress that ushered in an inter-generational executive.
There was no survivor from the George Nkiwane led executive which was elected at the ZCTU's 7th Congress in Bulawayo except for Secretary General, Japhet Moyo whose position is not contestable.
Nkiwane was replaced by his third Vice President Peter Mutasa who was co-opted into the ZCTU leadership in 2012 following the departure of Lucia Matibenga after she was appointed to a ministerial position during the Government of National Unity. The other elected were 1st Vice President Florence Taruvinga, (ESWUZ), Vice President John Chirenda (ZIMRATU), 3rd Vice President Juniel Manyere (RAE), 1st Deputy Secretary General Sylvester Mutindindi (ZESSCWU), 2nd Deputy Secretary General Thomas Masvingwe (NEWUZ) and Treasurer General Lovemore Ngwarati (ZIMRATU). They were all unopposed.
Nkiwane had announced that he was not seeking re-election saying he had served his time and was due for retirement just before the congress.
“I have had my time and I have served the institution very well as far as I am concerned. It's time for someone else to take over. I am leaving the position a very happy man. Zimbabwe must know that I am not running for another term. I am against this handiende (I won't go anywhere) culture,” Nkiwane said.
All the elected executives had their nominations seconded by six of eight unions that were eligible for contestation. The unions had filed their nominations in time despite an attempt to postpone the congress. The ZCTU went for congress with only eight out of 34 unions. The majority of the unions were not paid up in their subscriptions and in terms of its constitution Section 9.2 provides that; “The general Conference shall be composed of accredited delegates from fully paid affiliates and the elected officials of the Congress and members of the National Women's Advisory Council and National Young Workers Committee who shall have the right to vote”.
The congress which was held at a time the ZCTU is at its lowest ebb tasked the new leadership to restore the ZCTU's past glory by passing selfless resolutions which they felt if implemented would rejuvenate the country's largest labour body. The resolutions were from social, economic and political elevations all aimed at sustaining and re-railing the ZCTU to its core value system in line with the congress theme, “Defending Workers' Constitutional Rights, Our Prerogative”.
Congress resolved to rope in more affiliates and intensify membership recruitment, retention and renewal to bring back workers and unions who have fallen out of the ZCTU. It was also mandated to organise in areas that are not organised like the Kombi drivers, conductors and non-governmental organisations and recruit in areas that are outside the realm of the ZCTU like the pensions sector. In terms of ideology and political positioning congress clarified the role and position of ZCTU in the political environment. It resolved to redefine how to deal with the politics of the country without losing identity as a labour movement. The new leadership was tasked to continue to engage political parties in pursuance of the outcome of a developmental democratic state.
The leadership was also tasked to convene a special congress to deal with constitutional amendments and to re-engage with the other unions which failed to attend congress to iron out pre-congress misunderstandings. On the issue of affiliating new unions into the labour body the incoming President Mutasa said they will subject all applications to the thorough scrutiny and procedures of the ZCTU.
“We are not desperate so we will be very careful on the affiliation in line with our value systems while being cognisant that we were mandated to unite workers under ZCTU and draw more membership from a ballooning informal sector,” said Mutasa.
Most unions have lost membership due to retrenchments while some of those still employed were not paid, thereby affecting their subscriptions to the ZCTU.