THEME; ‘CONSTITUTIONALISM, SOCIAL JUSTICE: WORKERS UNITED FOR DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT’
1 MAY 2026 Dzivarasekwa Stadium
(SALUTATIONS)
1. Workers of Zimbabwe, comrades and friends we meet again to commemorate Workers Day, a day we remember the struggles and honour successes of the working class. The day is not just a holiday, it is a day every worker must reflect on the historic struggles and gains endured by the labour movement, waging the struggle for fair wages, safe working conditions and workers' rights.
2. As we meet for the 2026 Workers Day, the ZCTU is fully aware of the challenges affecting workers and the generality of Zimbabweans. This year is proving to be tougher and punitive compared to previous years. We are witnessing and projecting very difficult economic times to the extent that if we are not united we will be robbed of our dignity as workers.
3. Our theme for this year’s Workers Day; ‘CONSTITUTIONALISM, SOCIAL JUSTICE: WORKERS UNITED FOR DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT’ is summarizing our demands. We are demanding the restoration of workers’ dignity, their rights and respect for constitutionalism.
4. The year 2026 is already characterised by worthless wages, while the economy has largely dollarised, many wages remain pathetic and paid in local currency and there remain no meaningful safeguards put in place to restore confidence in the local currency. Most workers are earning wages below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL) and the collective bargaining environment is not conducive for fair negotiations. We are not asking for survivalist wages; we are demanding incomes that ensure that a full month's work provides enough for more than just survival. The current gazetted minimum wage of USD150-00 per month is a mockery. The government has failed to pay "Living Wages" and this is militating against effective collective bargaining as the private sector flows with the government rates and figures and informed by the movements in the minimum wage. Civil service salaries have been on a regression since 2017 2017 – Oct 2018 civil servants earned US$540-00 full salary in USD (or 1:1 parity Bond Notes), 2019–2023 they earned US$30-00 – US$250-00 Local currency (ZWL) plus a staggered USD "Covid-19" allowances. 2024 – 2025 the salaries were increased to US$324-00 – US$364-00, payable as US$300-00 allowance plus local currency (ZiG) component. Following the just completed job evaluation the least civil servant is now earning between US$370-00 – US$375-00 fixed USD plus ZiG balance. All this points to wage regression as the least paid has not surpassed their 2017 rates.
5. It is high time wages are reviewed upwards. We cannot be living from hand to mouth 46 years after independence. People are yearning for yesterday’s good old days when it was adorable to be employed and it’s not good in independent Zimbabwe to hear people saying kare zvinhu zvanga zvakanaka. Zimbabwe is endowed with many natural resources which are not benefiting the workers as we see unequal distribution of wealth, individuals without known companies or source of wealth, making donations of cars and USD cash almost on a daily basis. We have read news and it is in the public domain that USD 3.6million was flaunted to Members of Parliament in such kind of donations exposing opulence and evidence of unequal distribution of wealth in Zimbabwe.
6. Government is saying the economy is growing and that should translate to improved incomes across sectors. Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube recently affirmed a 5 percent economic growth target, ruling out downward revisions despite weaker global forecasts. This ‘growth’ only makes sense to us if it translates to transforming the life of the low-key citizens, lowered taxes and improved well-being, living standards and social services.
7. Our working environment is characterized by serious decent work deficits. Just last week we witnessed the unfortunate death of 3 workers in the Workington industrial area at Good 5 Investments (Pvt) Limited. Recent statistics from NSSA show an increase in workplace fatalities, rising to a record high of 78 in 2025 compared to 70 recorded in 2024 and 63 recorded 2023. It is not these accidents and fatalities alone, there are serious labour violations taking place largely perpetrated by the Chinese investors such as suppression of rights, systemic underpayments, violent misconduct and intimidation, extreme working conditions and precarious employment; whereby most workers are engaged on short-term, fixed contracts often denying them medical care, pensions, or long-term job security.
8. These decent work deficits are now more pronounced for the majority of the population, over 84% of the workforce now works in the informal economy without the protections of a "decent work" environment, such as pension security, medical aid, or regulated hours. Pensioners have also not been spared. Our police and municipal authorities are also culpable towards decent work deficits in the informal economy. There is inadequate safe working spaces and the level of harassment and brutality towards informal workers is unimaginable. We call on authorities to provide working necessities to informal workers before resorting to brutality under the guise of enforcing by-laws. Our pensioners are the worst affected because their meagre pensions cannot barely sustain them in this unforgiving economic environment. Most pensioners are earning below USD100-00 per month. This is despite NSSA holding significant assets, the disbursements to retirees continue to lag far behind the Poverty Datum Line, leaving former professionals to burden their children for support, who are themselves struggling.
9. The labour movement notes the recent signing into law of the IPEC Amendment Act by Emmerson Mnangagwa, which places National Social Security Authority (NSSA) under the oversight of Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC). While this marks a significant shift in the governance of workers’ pensions adopted after disregarding workers contributions wherein we rejected such a move, it must, however translate into stronger transparency, accountability, and protection of contributors’ funds, ensuring that the management of these deferred earnings genuinely serves the interests of the workers who sustain the system. Therefore, workers must be included
10. Comrades and friends it is not a secret that our living and working conditions continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate. The cost of living has skyrocketed and wages have become worthless to say the least. The situation has been compounded by the recent steep fuel price increases which have triggered a wave of price hikes pricing out the ordinary worker from most basic goods and services. As of early 2026, the Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) for a family of six was estimated at roughly US$900-00 by independent economists, while ZimStat figures from February placed it closer to US$302-00 a figure that we strongly dispute because it is not reflective of the daily lived realities factoring actual market prices for food, fuel, and healthcare.
11. We are in a crisis Cdes, healthcare is collapsing, health workers recently downed tools demanding improved salaries and working conditions. Many public hospitals are operating at minimal capacity with critical shortages of basic medicines and functional equipment. Professionals continue to leave the country for greener pastures leading to a reliance on remaining staff who are often overworked and under-resourced.
12. The state of our roads and railway system is a sorry sight of massive dilapidation owing to years of neglect and underinvestment. Potholes are all over city roads while some rural areas are no longer reachable. Railway tracks are also dilapidated, with outdated rolling stock and signaling systems while the electric railway system was disbanded. Rail is the "backbone" of a modern economy because it functions like a massive circulatory system for goods and people. It provides a reliable, high-capacity framework that enables industrial growth and national stability. Economies of scale show that rail is roughly three to four times more fuel-efficient than road transport. Heavy rail usage extends the lifespan of highways by removing thousands of heavy vehicles from the road, saving taxpayers billions in road repair cost. So why have we abandoned a system that removes the strain on infrastructure and taxes?
13. Comrades and friends we cannot continue to lament about our challenges without identifying solutions. We need to be frank with each other. The genesis of our problems are capitalistic government policies that are suffocating the ordinary while a cabal maximizes on our suffering. We have some of the worst economic policies in Africa. Government policies over the years have failed to alleviate the plight of workers and the ordinary. The gap between the rich and the poor is self-manifesting. While the majority cannot afford three square meals per day we see rising oligarchs displaying filthy wealth and holding the majority at ransom, all under the watch of the government.
14. While we appreciate that our struggle is for the stomach, we do politics of the stomach fighting for bread and butter issues we cannot totally divorce our voice from the mainstream politics. Our politics of the stomach are shaped and determined by national politics.
15. Workers have suffered immensely under the previous dispensations. From ESAP in the early 1990’s thousands of workers were retrenched as a result of economic liberalization policies that were adopted by government. The fasttrack land reform program and subsequent industrial decline saw unemployment soar to over 80 percent by the late 2000s. Operation Murambatsvina in 2005 destroyed homes and livelihoods of an estimated 700,000 people, many of whom were workers. The hyper-inflation period leading to 2009 eroded all savings and investments made by workers and left the majority as paupers. The worst carnage for workers was to come in the form of the Supreme Court Zuva Judgement of July 2015, this ruling permitted employers to terminate contracts of employment on three months' notice without paying retrenchment packages. This led to over 20,000 job losses.
16. The ruling regimes have also not spared, directly dissecting trade unions and their leaders. The ZCTU witnessed a serious onslaught from the government from 2000-2009. During that period, relations between the ZCTU and the Robert Mugabe-led government were characterized by extreme antagonism, political rivalry, and violent state suppression. On September 13, 2006, the ZCTU held a nationwide protest against deteriorating social and economic conditions but the state responded with unforeseen brutality. Over 226 workers and activists were arrested across the country, with approximately 270 total union officials detained by the following day. In Harare, 15 senior ZCTU leaders including President Lovemore Matombo (MHDSRIP), Secretary General Wellington Chibebe, and Vice-President Lucia Matibenga were arrested and taken to Matapi Police Station where they were systematically tortured and beaten, resulting in severe injuries such as broken limbs.
17. Some of the issues that led to the 2006 demonstration like hyperinflation (then at a world record 1,200%) and the extreme high cost of living, stagnant wages that were not linked to the PDL, high taxes and the proposed compulsory National Health Insurance Scheme are still haunting to this day. This period was also marked by the formation of a rival federation ZFTU to counter ZCTU strikes, initiatives and divide the labor movement which has proved costly to the ordinary worker.
18. On the legal side, Labour Amendment Act No. 11 of 2023; while aiming to fix issues, observers argue that the removal of certain protections in the final Act left workers vulnerable to abuse, particularly regarding labour brokering and by allowing loopholes for employers to evade full termination packages. The current dispensation has disarmed workers by criminalizing the right to strike, which is our last line of defence. These restrictions against the right to strike, including, clauses that targets conveners and threaten them with prison time for organizing strikes and enforcing restrictions on the bargaining power of unions are threats to the existence of unions.
19. Monetary and Currency Policies have also contributed to the suffering of workers over the years. The shifts between the US dollar, local currency (RTGS, Bond Notes, ZWL and ZiG) have consistently eroded savings, pensions, and salaries. The de-dollarization of 2019 forced the conversion of USDdenominated bank balances to local currency at official rates, which rapidly depreciated, wiped out the lifetime savings and pensions of many workers. Up to this day no meaningful efforts have been made to compensate for the losses incurred by workers. We remain highly taxed while companies enjoy tax havens. According to recent statics workers are contributing 22 percent in taxes while companies are at a mere 9 percent (Zimra 2024).
20. Informality has been the result of these failed government policies. The informal economy continued to grow after 2017, with estimates from the International Labour Organization showing informal employment was 79.8 percent of total employment in 2019. Informality was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought alternative livelihoods after formal enterprises had scaled down operations.
21. Why do we have blood sucking taxes? Why do we have middlemen at the very nerve centre of the economic anatomy? The government must come up with policies that serve the poor and the majority. Our government is not giving business to its own parastatals which must be the norm. Why is there no explicit policy that directs that all bulk transportation must be handled by rail which significantly reduces transport costs. The answer is clear; the policy maker owns trucking companies. Why do we have middlemen in the oil industry when we have NOCZIM which can do the job at a lower cost. Our fuel prices are amongst the most expensive in Africa, the reason being multiple taxes and cartels holding the industry at ransom. Why do we blend our petrol if the net effect is a rise in its price? The government needs to introspect on these and other issues directly prejudicing the poor and the majority. Our clarion call to government is SERVE and SAVE the people not to serve and save ZVIGANANDA.
22. Cdes, I cannot conclude our speech without addressing the most topical discourse currently underway. This is the issue of Constitutional Amendment Bill number 3. As ZCTU we are a constitutional organisation that upholds constitutionalism at all levels. We are also known to be a critical voice in the fight for democracy and the rule of law. Our history speaks for itself. Let me take you back to the year 2000 when the country held a referendum. ZCTU held a firm "NO" position during the February 2000 constitutional referendum largely because it significantly increased the powers of the Executive President, also rejected provisions that would have allowed President Mugabe to serve additional terms and argued that the constitution-making process was government-driven rather than "people-driven".
23. In 2013, ZCTU urged workers to participate in a referendum as individuals and accepted the outcome of the process that ushered the 2013 Zimbabwe Constitution. Today as I stand before you, our stance has not changed. We believe in giving every individual a voice to express themselves. We are for a process that is inclusive and transparent, a process that respects and upholds the will of the people through universal suffrage. In this regard, we undertook a consultative process in our six regional capitals and workers expressed themselves on CAB3. From the consultations, workers were emphatic in their response. They do not support CAB3 and as their leaders we respect their decision as the workers have spoken. We are therefore seized with the decisions made and adopted by all the Regional Reports and we will be giving you further updates on the courses of action on the matter. Our belief and conviction is that governance is a system designed for continuity and it is not attached to individuals. That is a perspective rooted in institutionalism. The 2013, Constitution as the social contract and indeed our covenant, must be respected. The strength of a nation or organization lies in its "frameworks," laws, processes, and roles rather than the charisma or presence of a specific leader.
24. Policies and services should remain stable even during leadership transitions and power is vested in the office, not the person, making it easier to check abuses. Systems must be able to survive and withstand the loss or departure of any single person without collapsing. This, we believe is the hallmark of a mature democracy. Our focus must be to build strong and independent institutions and shift from focusing on "Who is in charge" to "How do we operate?"
25. Having lamented on the challenges that we have been put through by the successive governments without remorse or compensation as workers we do not believe that these regimes need to be rewarded by extra time in office. The governments have presided over our suffering and any extension of their terms in office is an extension of poverty and suffering to workers. As we reflect on our struggles we have the following demands for 2026:
a) Constitutionalism and the rule of law - An abandonment of the proposed mutilation of the Constitution through CAB3, respect the values and processes provided in the 2013 Constitution which is a binding Social Contract and indeed a Covenant by the citizens of Zimbabwe.
b) INCOMES; Tax relief measures. That government reviews downwards pay as you earn (PAYE) tax bands. ü Exempt all workers earning below the PDL from paying tax. ü Tax exemptions on retrenchment and retirement packages.
c) SOCIAL PROTECTION - Enhance social protection support to vulnerable groups. Government should ensure implementation of the Retired Justice Smith Commission Recommendation and subsidise essential products and services such as fuel and electricity to arrest inflation.
d) MINIMUM WAGE – We demand a minimum wage indexed to the PDL.
e) FREE TREATMENT OF ALL CANCERS.
f) SOCIAL DIALOGUE: Promote dialogue at all levels and pin all decisions on meaningful consultations and consensus among social partners
g) CORRUPTION: deal decisively with corruption in the public and private sectors.
h) IMMEDIATE INCLUSION OF WORKER REPRESENTATIVES IN IPEC—because those who contribute to and depend on these pensions must have a decisive voice in how they are governed, not be sidelined by boards dominated by narrow private interests.
i) EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH- Mineral Resources Nationalism.
26. As workers let us remain united and focused on our class interests. We have no other option other than organizing, mobilizing to fight inequalities and demanding for socio-economic transformation. The challenges that we are facing now as a labour movement require a united front, everyone must be on board, the students, farmers, communities the formal and informal. Our common enemy is capitalism, embedded in corrupt cartels. Our demands aren't just about what happens at the desk or on the factory floor, but are tied to the national economy, governance, and social justice.
27. Let me conclude by saying that above everything, our miseries can only be addressed if we draw critical lessons from the sacrifice of the Haymarket protestors who secured us the 8-hour working day through their blood as the foundation for this May Day commemorations. That is what our own labour movement stalwarts like Benjamin Burombo, Masotsha Ndhlovu, Joshua Nkomo, Morgan Tsvangirai and many others who charted the path to working class freedom, emancipation and dignity prescribed for us to follow.
GOD BLESS WORKERS OF ZIMBABWE
SHINGA MUSHANDI SHINGA, QINA SISEBENZI QINA
I THANK YOU!
