Revolutionary greetings to mine workers of Zimbabwe, Africa and the world, Happy New Year!!
We have ushered in a new year, with renewed hope, vigour and determination for better prospects and welfare of mine workers in Zimbabwe.
In 2023, mine workers endured a nightmarish year. While some enjoyed festivities associated with Christmas for some mine workers it was a miserable season devoid of any festivity as they endured a bleak festive holiday, which was mainly due to non-payment of December salaries, and non-existent bonuses. This was a difficult year where the majority of mine workers continue to earn poverty wages, despite them being the backbone of our economy and a vital cog in the economic development and transformation matrix.
The year 2023 was characterized by underpayment of salaries, employers failing to timeously pay salaries and the majority of mine workers earning below the poverty datum line. Further, some employers in the industry deliberately failed to provide adequate PPE for their employees.
Job security for mine workers remained an issue, where workers were not only subjected to short term fixed contracts, but also long working hours (chibharo).
Workers’ salaries continue to shrink, the value of the USD is being eroded and they are being robbed of their hard-earned income through heavy taxes, high bank charges and illegal unjustified deductions by some unscrupulous employers. The plight of mine workers continues to worsen.
Zdamwu is concerned with hardships being faced by workers at big mining corporations such as Rio Zim’s Cam & Motor Mine in Kadoma, Renco Mine in Masvingo, Murowa Diamonds in Zvishavane and the closed Dalyn Mine in Chakari and Empress Nickel Refinery who are earning staggered salaries month in and month out with no solution in sight. We are concerned that over 1,000 workers of the closed Vumbachikwe Mine owned by Forbes & Thompson in Gwanda might all be jobless if action to protect the mine from collapsing is not taken soon, they last got paid in September 2022 and are accumulating salaries while seated at home with nothing in sight towards opening the mine and a restoration of jobs of the said workers. Equally, we are worried with the situation prevailing at closed operations such as Mbada Diamonds, Shabani Mashava, DTZ-Ozegio, Makomo Resources and recently Zhong Jian where workers are yet to be paid their terminal benefits so that they can have closure on their empowerment with these companies and start a new life.
It was our fervent hope that the coming in of the Labour Amendment Act was going to bring relief for mine workers, especially in the area of the dispute resolution process which remains an issue with many cases before the NEC backdating to 2016 remain unresolved forcing workers to lose trust with the union. The coming in of the new Labour Amendment Act did not help, instead it has created some loopholes which were identified by the Honorable Labour Court judge in the notorious DGL vs workers case which is now in the Supreme Court on appeal.
Safety of workers was another concern. The year 2023 we witnessed fatal accidents and many lives were lost raising fears that this trend might continue if no immediate solutions are found. The country has seen the emerging of unscrupulous and corrupt investors who uses their dirty money to corrupt systems so as to operate bellow standards for profits without considering the safety/ health and plight of workers.
The Union has been dealing with these issues and they are at various stages of litigation and in some cases engagement.
Indeed the year 2023 was eventful, the union successfully achieved its target in the area of organizing and recruiting new members in mines like Sandawana Mine, Shava Mine, Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, Richmark Zimbabwe, Kamativi Mine, Gwanda Lithium, Pickstone Mine, Brompton Mine and regained its members at Jena mine achieving new membership base towards growth.
In the area of structures, the union successfully constituted its national women structure, and some branches across the country.
We thank the Lord Almighty for His grace and mercy, which saw us through an eventful year, as we march towards the end of our 5-year strategic plan and preparation for our elective congress in the new year (2024).
As we enter 2024 we therefore are assuring our members of a great fight, focusing on the challenges already witnessed in 2023 in order to overcome them.
The challenges of 2023 are our step towards overcoming them and focusing on transforming the lives of mine workers, spurring economic growth and improving “the quality of life for mining communities.
With the coming in of investors in the mining sector targeting lithium and platinum mining our focus will continue to be on scaling up membership recruitment, education, training and setting up of strong structures for the growth of the union. New offices shall be opened in Gwanda, Shurugwi or Gweru as demand for representation continues to rise across all districts.
Training of members will be prioritized in the year 2024 and our work with organizations such as CNRG, FES and others needs to be commended and shall be consolidated for the benefit of mine workers and their communities. Engagement with other leftist organizations that promote workers’ and community rights shall also be prioritized making ZDAMWU the preferred union.
The recent discovery of gas in Muzarabani is another potential membership base in future and will monitor the project with interest to recruit and represent the workers working there which will continue to increase our membership base.
Gains of 2023 in the area of shop-floor wage bargaining will continue to be prioritized. To consolidate these gains, the union shall continue to capacitate its shop-floor members (workers committees) with bargaining skills so as to push employers for win-win scenarios. The demand for a minimum living wage of USD600.00 will be top of our 2024 work agenda as a union until mine workers across all mines and districts achieve this demand. These will leapfrog the workers’ transformation and community development for sustainable socio-economic development of mining communities at large.
Failure is not an option and if the works council fails we will be pursuing the demand as a dispute of interest through an arbitration process in terms of the law. ZDAMWU has the capacity to push employers to recognize the need to pay workers a living wage commensurate to the value of minerals, regional scales, and production levels as well as linked to economic growth.
We are a global union affiliated to the Industrial Global Union, we network with regional and international trade unions in our sector in solidarity. The solidarity of trade unions nationally, regionally and internationally enables the workers to unite to fight governing systems and policies that oppress workers. It also empowers and develops workers’ capacity, and builds trade union unity to be able to liberate themselves.
We shall continue to be part of the global family in solidarity for the benefit of mine workers of Zimbabwe aspiring to be a growing and leading trade union in Zimbabwe with a global flavor separating ourselves with those that we compete with in the industry with which enables us to challenge multinational companies where ever they operate in.
OUR PLANS GOING FORWARD
The year 2024 onward marks the breaking point of the union towards total control and influence in the industry and our strategic focus is designed to achieve more. A lot is changing in the industry and one of our immediate tasks is to review and put in place measures on how the organization will perform in the coming years in its quest to be the voice of mine workers across all mines in Zimbabwe as we have succeeded to grow our membership to *over 15 000 at the end of 2023 while employment has been growing with the opening of new lithium mines, we aim to reach a membership of 30 000 by December 2025. We believe ZDAMWU is in a stronger position to continue on an upward trend through some phases of growth, namely-
PHASE 1: Recruitment & Attending to all pending cases-2024*
In this phase the focus is building the organization and pursuing the target, this will involve mapping out potential members at every mine and create trade union networks at every workplace.
The main focus will be building structures at every mine, continue to recruit more members in every district and educating them about their rights. Membership retention with focus on attending to all outstanding grievances so as to bring back confidence to the members.
During the same period, the union will be conducting several trainings across all mines, districts and communities where mining is taking place together with other progressive organizations who shares the same vision with ZDAMWU.
PHASE 2: Growth Phase: 2024-2025
The success of this phase should be evidenced in the series of activities we shall be carrying out starting now going forward. It is the activities that shall focus on unmasking and uncovering the true colour of the capitalists we have in our industry and other sellouts/paperbag union who are causing havoc in the industry as well as confusing mine workers. We shall also be demonstrating that we have the power to temper with capitalists’ profits if they view us as their slaves. Our maturity must be tested and reinforced by events in the industry and in society. Our focus on building and strengthening of structures should be our main saviour.
OUR 2024 & BEYOND GOALS
- Defending workers’ rights
- Fight precarious work including casualization of labour
- Build Union Power through membership recruitment
- Confront Capital aggressively & radically
- Promote sustainable transformation and industry development
ZDAMWU is a trade union confident in its identity and in the intervention it constantly makes, convinced in the progressive positions it takes at all levels of the labour market locally and globally as well as in the socio-economic levels. We shall continue to develop the union into an institution that is at the cutting edge of a modern trade union with its revolutionary credentials intact, a trade union that is admired, revered and envied across all mines in Zimbabwe and communities where mining is taking place, because of our foresight and vision, strength of character and the ability to advance the strategic vision of mine workers.
At global, continental and national levels, ZDAMWU will ensure Mining is profiled strategically in terms of the development agenda, particularly as a strategic sector for the development of Zimbabwe and the African Continent as well as able to engage and influence discussions on just transition and the discourse on renewable energy to consolidate energy resources in the country for sustainable development.
OUR 2024 & BEYOND DEMANDS
- Profit sharing for the transformation of living standards
- Share ownership for community development & economic development
- Value addition & beneficiation of minerals for job creation & security
- Subsectors within the mining industry for transparent
- An end to the casualisation of labour & labour broking
- An end to all forms of harassment in the industry
- Decent work and safe working environment
- Affordable and decent accommodation
- An end to corruption in the mining industry
Accordingly, the focus of the union from the year 2024 will be to influence policy formulation that addresses our nine (9) demands with aggression so as to transform the lives of mining communities and workers in general.
We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to consult and involve workers and mining communities on policies that directly affect their welfare and interests including areas of safety & health, and formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining.
We need policies that promote and protect Labour rights and community rights regardless of who the employer is.
To the Mine Industry employers, we say 2024 is a year of engagement and real bargaining, Please hear us, talk to us, consider our proposal, practice fair labour practices, respect labour rights and know that workers are stakeholders, not slaves.
We will not accept all forms of victimization as it was in 2023 where some employers were threatening to terminate the contracts of workers who joined ZDAMWU and who raised their voices against unfair labour standards. A trade union is not a political part and we will never allow ourselves to be dragged into national politics that end up dividing workers.
To the Mineworkers, we extend our gratitude for the confidence that the mine workers of Zimbabwe continue to express in the union ZDAMWU Union Yevanhu, IUnion Yabantu through their joining of the leading union dumping sellouts and paper bag unions that have been in the industry confusing workers.
Furthermore, we are very grateful to our shop floor leaders, national leaders and hardworking staff members for preaching unity amongst mine workers so as to speak with one voice. The struggle for better working conditions for mine workers is a continuous fight. Indeed, we are a growing union never to be undermined. The process of transformation of mine workers lives and mining communities starts now. Let’s unite towards better working conditions and improved living standards. Let’s reject to be used or divided on political grounds or affiliation. We are workers and we earn a living through work.
Last but not least, The General Secretary, the union leadership and staff members wish you a happy and prosperous 2024.
Remember to take care of yourselves and your families.
Take one!!!! Teach one with the slogan Every mine with ZDAMWU, Every worker in ZDAMWU and Every Community with ZDAMWU.
Amandlaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank You
Justice Chinhema
ZDAMWU General Secretary
0772976261/0717803553
[email protected]/[email protected] Zimbabwe’s economic growth.
