Zimbabwe+unions+call+strike,+Cris+Chinaka,+Reuters

Reuters, Sun 1 Apr 2007, 10:30 GMT
=Zimbabwe unions call strike=


 * By Cris Chinaka**

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's main labour union said on Sunday it expected thousands of workers to "stay away" from work for two days this week to push for higher wages in a strike that could pile more pressure on President Robert Mugabe.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) says a majority of its affiliate unions have signed up for a job boycott on Tuesday and Wednesday, chosen instead of a demonstration amid fears of possible violent reprisals.

Mugabe, battling a crumbling economy and resurgent opposition, has accused the ZCTU of being a Western stooge, sponsored to oust him for seizing white-owned commercial farms. His ministers have called on workers to ignore the boycott, warning the unions "against inciting violence".

ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo told Reuters the party was going ahead with "the stay away" because talks between labour, industry and government officials on a higher minimum wage and other improved work conditions had not yet yielded results.

"As far as we are concerned we gave adequate notice for this job boycott, and we are trying to protect workers from brutality by not staging any demonstrations," Matombo said.

The ZCTU say workers want a minimum wage of 1 million Zimbabwe dollars (2,000 pounds on the official market but worth 25 pounds on the black market) and for the government to resolve an economic meltdown and increase access to anti-retroviral drugs.

Mugabe has faced international condemnation over a crackdown, which left main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai injured and hospitalised after police stopped a banned prayer rally to protest against a deepening economic crisis.

The unions are aligned to Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Labour Minister Nicholas Goche accused the ZCTU of "playing politics" by calling for the boycott.

"The government has learnt that it is individuals in the ZCTU who are aligned to the opposition politics ... who want to be seen to be participating in the current Western-backed violence aimed at regime change in Zimbabwe," he said.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena told state media that police would be deployed in all major towns during the strike.

Political analysts say Mugabe's crackdown on the MDC and the fight against the deteriorating economy by the unions are likely to keep the pressure on the Zimbabwean government.

The MDC said a Harare court had on Saturday ordered treatment for nine members, including a legislator, who had been taken to court after suffering assaults in police custody.

"Almost all of them were unable to walk, and two were whisked to hospital by ambulance while on life-support systems," a senior MDC official said on Sunday.

Zimbabwe's ruling party on Friday adopted a motion to hold elections in 2008 and endorsed Mugabe as its presidential candidate for a new five-year term.


 * From: http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnL0126871.html**

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