Strike over fuel price hike to go ahead

A workers' strike to protest fuel price hikes is set to go ahead from Wednesday to Friday this week, with the tacit support of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called for a three-day national strike to protest the latest increase in the price of petrol. (For an IRIN report on the impact of the fuel rise) ZCTU general-secretary Wellington Chibebe told IRIN on Tuesday that the ZCTU had written to government to express concern over the fuel hikes but had received no reply. Industrial action would therefore go ahead as planned. He said the labour movement was hopeful that the strike would succeed, despite an anticipated police crackdown. "Already they have arrested our regional chairperson in the west and our media officer, and we gather that they are trying to get to the leadership now," Chibebe said. The MDC's Eddie Cross told IRIN that preparations appeared to be well underway for the stayaway in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo. "From appearances today, I would say it would be effective - that there'll be a very high level of observance of the strike. We're getting a positive reaction both from employers and employees, certainly in Bulawayo." Cross added that "what distinguishes this stayaway from the one the MDC had three weeks ago is that this one really is a more direct challenge of the powers of the state". MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi said in a statement that the ZCTU strike was "completely justified and deserves the support of every progressive Zimbabwean". Last week the government hiked fuel prices by 200 percent, on top of news that inflation reached 228 percent in March. The ZCTU has argued that workers can no longer afford the transport fares to get to work. President Robert Mugabe, however, has said Zimbabweans "must endure the hardships of this period, because tomorrow is going to be better than yesterday and today". Mugabe was speaking during a special independence interview on state television. News reports quoted Minister of State for Information Jonathan Moyo as saying that the government was working on measures to cushion workers from the effects of the fuel price hike.