Zimbabwe labour unions slam budget, vow protests
Source: Reuters
HARARE, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe unions vowed fresh protests on Tuesday against President Robert Mugabe's government over a deepening economic crisis, saying last week's budget did not help workers struggling to make ends meet. More than a dozen members of the umbrella Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) were arrested and beaten by police in September as they tried to march against poor wages, high taxes and lack of access to anti-retroviral drugs to fight HIV/AIDS. The ZCTU said the 2007 national budget presented by Finance Minister Hebert Murerwa last Thursday had not addressed the demands of workers, who have borne the brunt of a deep economic recession. "Realising that the issues raised by ZCTU as workers ... have not been acted upon, the general council ... reaffirmed its commitment to go to the streets ... " ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo told journalists. He said union demands included a higher minimum wage, lower taxes and free access to anti-retrovirals for those in need of the life prolonging drugs. He hinted that the labour body may stage protests as soon as January, when the budget takes effect, but said it was consulting its members about the proposed action. "The minister has the opportunity to accept what we have proposed, up to January, when the (budget) implementation phase begins," Matombo said. In his budget statement, Murerwa hiked the non-taxable income for workers to Z$100,000 ($400), but the ZCTU said this was still too low. Analysts have said the budget offered little to halt an eight-year recession marked by record inflation of 1,070.2 percent, the highest in the world, rocketing unemployment, shortages of foreign currency, fuel and food. Mugabe's government has vowed to crush unapproved demonstrations and accused the ZCTU of fronting opposition interests. Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, denies mismanaging the economy and accuses powerful Western nations of sabotage as punishment for his seizure of land previously held by whites for redistribution to blacks.
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