Vimbai E.M.Z. Mushongera

Parliament Affairs and Advocacy Officer

vimbai.zinyama@zctu.co.zw

3/2/2011 1Solidarity Center Conference on Informal

Economy Workers

From dirigisme to Washington consensus Beyond ESAP – Programme to Democratise

ZIM- Celebrate the means and not the ends 1996 Resolved to organise informal

economy workers Research and Establishing structures

1997 Hosted working people’s convention – NCA, CRISIS COALITION, ZIMRIGHTS

2001 Established informal economy desk ZCIEA LEDRIZ Legal Department Parliament and Advocacy program

2/2/2011 2Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

ZCTU currently has 362 000 ZCIEA Membership 873 000 Potential Voters in the Country

3Million /14m

Numbers are Essential for influencingpolicy

3/2/2011 3Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

•71 Ministers

650 Polling Station

3/2/2011 4Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

3/2/2011 5Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

Dollarisation left more than 70% of population unbanked

90% Informal economy activities Real wages back to 1973 - Employers not paying salaries and

pension houses not honoring obligations Social safety nets still a major challenge Labour Market- Labour relations still

akin to colonial times –Chinese , Indigenous employers, 75 000 ghost workers

3/2/2011 6Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

Elections on the horizon Dead GNU – SADC still playing some

accommodation politics Deflective and Negotiated constitution Petrified electorate - Violence Undermining of Organised labour – ZCTU Uniformed forces that are partisan Populist Policies Newly discovered resources (Diamonds )

our demise Selective application of the law Wikleaks – ZANUPF demise and MDC

strengthening

3/2/2011 7Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

3/2/2011 8Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

Justice without power is useless, Power without justice is tyrannical, Failure to empower what is just is to make what is strong legitmate

3/2/2011 9Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

ZCTU has 6 Regional offices has 34 districts

3/2/2011 10Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

3/2/2011 11Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

3/2/2011 12Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

3/2/2011 13Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

3/2/2011 14Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

3/2/2011 15Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers

People driven constitution Country Decent Work Plan –Beyond the Enclave Public sector reform & labour law reform Transformative transitional justice

Discrimination Unjustified violence ,killings and destruction of

property Arbitrary arrest Forced evictions

Creation of a social protection floor Redistributive, Productive,

Dealing with country risk factors Institutional Capacity building of Actors Truly independent Human Rights, Media, Anti

Corruption , Zimbabwe Electoral Commission & TR commissions

3/2/2011 16Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy

Workers