Workers fired for participating in national stayaway

Workers who participated in last week's three-day strike have experienced a backlash in Zimbabwe, according to reports of mass dismissals and beatings which emerged on Tuesday. About 2,800 state post office workers were fired for participating in the stayaway, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) told IRIN. There have also been reports of beatings and the victimisation of people accused by so-called war veterans of having participated in the strike. Among those who have lost jobs at the post office is ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo. "Our president also received a letter saying that they participated in an illegal strike and were therefore being summarily dismissed," ZCTU secretary-general, Wellington Chibebe, told IRIN. The strike was organised by ZCTU to protest the latest fuel price hike, which doubled a price that had already risen by 95 percent in previous weeks. The union called on the government to reverse the fuel price hikes because of the inflationary impact on ordinary Zimbabweans. Following the firing of post office workers, ZCTU said it intended contacting the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the International Labour Organisation to alert them to the current developments. "We will also see how we can tackle the issue legally," Chibebe said. ZCTU had written to the government to express its concerns about the plight of workers prior to last week's stayaway, but had still received no reply, he added. "Government has not responded to our letter, [so] we sent another one yesterday [Monday]. We're waiting to see whether or not they will respond. We have re-submitted our demand [for] the reversal of the fuel price hike," Chibebe said. He added that ZCTU was consulting its members regarding the way ahead. "If government does not respond positively [then further] action is on the agenda, the form and timing of which is going to be announced in due course," Chibebe noted. The union was "humbled" by the response to its call for a strike, he added, but was "not happy" about the government's lack of response to its demands.