World Day for Safety and Health at Work (June 6) Commemorations
Theme: ‘‘Stop the Neglect, Prioritise Workers Safety and Health in every economic sector’’
Comrades, brothers and sisters,
We come before you today with a deep sense of purpose and unwavering solidarity. Our gathering is not just a routine meeting; it is a call to action. Our theme, ‘‘Stop the Neglect, Prioritise Workers Safety and Health in every economic sector’’ demands that we reflect, resist, and reform. Today, we are gathered here not merely to commemorate, but to agitate, to organise, and to demand action on improved occupational safety and health for all workers in the different economic sectors of our country. Health and Safety Day (June 6) is not just symbolic but is a loud declaration that Zimbabwean workers will no longer suffer silently due to the unsafe work environment that they are exposed to by the employers and government.
“Our theme, ‘Stop the Neglect, Prioritise Workers’ Safety in Every Economic Sector,’ is a rallying cry for justice, accountability, and reform. “In 2024 Zimbabwe experienced a concerning rise in occupational injuries and fatalities. It is reported that there were 4,912 injuries and 76 fatalities throughout the year, what about those accidents that went unreported? It is our demand that we cannot continue to suffer from workplace neglect as workers without the responsible authorities being brought to account for the injuries and death being experienced in the workplace.
What is our reality on occupational safety and health in our work stations? The mining industry has become synonymous with unsafe shafts, equipment failure, and weak regulations that are causing unnecessary deaths. In Agriculture workers work without personal protective equipment and they are exposed to chemicals, heat stress, and poor living conditions. While in the retail and commercial sectors, workers are exposed to long hours of work, job insecurity and poor ergonomics. In our biggest economic sector which is the informal sector over 80% of workers operate with no safety laws, medical care, or recognisable rights. The transport and manufacturing sectors has also not been spared as workers work with very dangerous old and archaic machinery, poorly maintained and without proper safety nets.
As if the old risks are not enough, we now face a new frontier; artificial intelligence and automation in the workplace. It is critical that we must ask certain critical questions: Is technology making work safer, or are workers paying the price for the progress? We cannot deny the role that technology plays in transforming work. Automation, AI surveillance, remote work systems, wearables for monitoring health all these innovations can improve safety if used ethically and equitably.
But there are risks:
• Workers are being replaced instead of retrained.
• Gig workers, like delivery riders or ride-hailing drivers, are being tracked but not protected.
• Surveillance tools are increasing stress and compromising mental health.
ln workplaces where technology is introduced without consultation, workers lose control over their pace of work and autonomy. As workers we expect and demand that technology must serve the people and not the other way around.
As the voice of workers, we clearly pronounce that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
We demand the following:
1. Full enforcement of OSH laws across all economic sectors.
2. Establishment of functional health and safety committees in every workplace.
3. Access to adequate PPE, occupational health training, and medical services for all workers
4. Protection from psychosocial hazards, workplace stress, and gender-based violence.
5. Government regulation of AI and digital monitoring, including transparency, worker rights, and ethical use.
6. A national dialogue involving government, unions, employers, and civil society on technology and safety in the future of work
Conclusion
We urge you dear comrades that today we must finish our commemoration by agreeing that whatever we doing going forward, should be done with an urgent sense of purpose. That we must fight not only for ourselves, but for the workers who have gone and for those yet to come. We demand that employers and government must stop the neglect and prioritise workers’ safety in every industry from the farms to the factory, from the shop floor to the guard rooms.
Viva safe workplaces! Viva union power! Viva the Zimbabwean worker!
Aluta continua! The struggle continues!
