Government Bows to ILO Demands

Harare — THE government, which is under international pressure to end torture and harassment of trade unionists, says it will implement far reaching policies to promote trade unionism in Zimbabwe.

An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report released in March said the country's security forces had used arrests, detention and torture of labour leaders, among other violations, to stifle unionism.

The ILO which, last August, dispatched labour experts to Harare to probe the alleged worker rights abuses, had urged the unity government to end anti-union practices.

It also called on the government to speed up the creation of a human rights commission to defend the rights and freedoms of Zimbabweans, inc-luding workers.

The commission is now in place although there are concerns over the absence of an enabling act.

The ILO commission of inquiry was prompted by the alleged assault and torture of top ZCTU officials in Sept-ember 2006 after security agents foiled a workers prot-est.

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZC-TU) president, Love-more Matombo and secretary general, Wellington Chibebe, were among the executives reportedly assaulted and tortured by the security agents. Matombo, Chibebe and 14 others later sued Home Affairs Minister, Kem-bo Mohadi, Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri and several other police officers implicated in their alleged torture after reports by independent medical doctors indicated that their injuries were consistent with torture.

The ZCTU has previously criticised the unity government for its failure to reform the security sector to instill professionalism, calling last year for the immediate resignation of co-Home Affairs Ministers Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa for failing to ensure that police

uphold the rule of law.

In a three-page response to the ILO on April 20, Labour and Social Services Minister, Paulina Mpariwa, said the international labour body had raised key issues, which the inclusive government had started to address.

"The government obser-ves that the commission's recommendations are already part of the reform work by government, and it is in this context that government will implement the recommendations," Mpariwa said.

"It should be noted that the inclusive government has established the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration (whose members include) Gibson Sibanda, who is a former president of the ZCTU, and also former member of the ILO governing body. With respect to the Human Rights Commission, it should be noted that the enabling Bill is at an advanced stage towards being passed into law and that the members of the commission have already been appointed. The Public Order and Security Act is also being amended in consideration of the inclusive government's affirmed commitment to the principle of freedom of assembly and association," she said.

Mpariwa said the inclusive government is currently guided by a Government Work Plan under which the Ministry of Labour has been tasked to implement various institutional and legislative reforms to strengthen labour market governance.