On Thursday the 19th March 2009 the Minster of Finance Hon Tendai Biti presented to nation the Short-Term Emergency Recovery Programme (STERP).

The Programme seeks to save Zimbabwe from the prevailing economic morass. Dubbed "Getting Zimbabwe Moving Again" the programme has been viewed by most economists as a micro cosm of the macro cosm, in the sense that it is a short term programme with all the capacity give birth to a long term plan to save the country's ailing economy.

It's a statement of fact that a lot needs to be done to ensure that the new drive takes holistic approach. At this juncture, it becomes paramount that the three vital social partners commence to engage each other with a common vision. Over the past 10 years the nation has witnessed unparalleled levels of mistrust between the three parties in the social dialogue process and all hope is that with the birth of the inclusive government the attitude of these three players will change for the good of our beloved country.

There is a lot that each part is expected to do in this regard. The good news is that the ministry of Labour and Social welfare has already commenced the process of reviving dialogue under the auspices of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum as was prescribed in the recently launched Short Term Recovery Programme.

In a show of seriousness the principals of the three social partners involved in TIF, representing Government, Business and Labour are reported to have met in Harare, apparently in a bid to iron out all the outstanding issues and in the process breed a point of convergence.

The new initiative presented renewed optimism that a new beginning is being made and a new paradigm for social dialogue. Over the past 10 years we have seen players in this very important process reneging on their roles. It has to be said in no uncertain terms, without acquitting the other two players Government has been the major culprit in terms of failing to honour its roles and responsibilities.

Of major concern has been the dismal failure by the then all ZANU PF Government to create a conducive legislative environment for the success of the tripartite negotiating set up.

The majority of the laws that were enacted by the then Government were not only counterproductive but a direct attack on the existence of the other two parties. The civil liberties from the perspective of the Labour were practically eroded through the enactment of such diabolical and uncanny legislations like the Public Order and Security Act (POSA). The Law literally obliterated anything called strike action in Zimbabwe much to the detriment of the social dialogue process.

For the process to thrive again the Government is expected to display transparence in its dealings, but without being harsh transparence as a word did not even exist in the vocabulary of the then Government.

The country witnessed unthinkable levels of corruption and nepotism and when the other players were trying to bring out these issues during the negotiation the Government was always parading massive levels of arrogance and ignorance.

Hence in the swing of the pendulum the nation expects the inclusive Government to display change of behavior. It will assist this country if such Laws as POSA are repealed as soon as possible. Furthermore for this new social dialogue drive to bear fruits the toothless burking dog called Anti Corruption Commission must be disbanded and be reconstituted.

As far as this author is concerned Anti Corruption Commissions play pivotal roles in economic development. The looting and misuse of state resources that has characterised the operations of the then Government will be a thing of the past if we are to have an independent Anti Corruption Commission that has nothing to do with politicians.

Still on the legislation, the Labour Relations Act is still shy in terms of fostering Collective Bargaining. Labour simply wants laws that will give them a clear chance to have a say in the determination of their wages and salaries. To borrow the words of R H Christie in his book The Law of Contract in South Africa Third Edition Collective Bargaining is a necessary evil for all progressive organisations.

In terms of Human Resource Development as another role of the Government, we all saw how dismal the performance of the Government was in that regard. There was no commitment whatsoever from the Government.

The tendency was to major on minors, for example the setting up of the so-called National Youth Training Camps that did not have anything to do with the economic development of this country. We expect the Government to develop training programmes that foster national development not zhing zhong training programmes like the Boarder Gezi thing.

Cautious as ever and perhaps necessarily so, it will be a disservice to reality to put all the blame on the then Government with regards to the failure of the social dialogue process in Zimbabwe. On numerous occasions business has been found wanting with regards to honoring of its roles and responsibilities in the social dialogue process.

At a time when the country is gripping in a diabolical economic situation most businesses have taken advantage of the situation to propel profiteering at the expense of the masses. Most if not all business organisations have completely relegated the concept of good corporate governance to the periphery.

It is the view of this author that for a programme like STERP to bear fruits much needs to be done by the relevant authorities in so far as the fostering of good corporate governance is concerned. In the same veil, though it is a common fact that Labour has always and still continues to be the most progressive player in the process, there is still room for improvement especially with regards to the independence of the Labour movement in this country.

Over the past three or so years we have seen the Labour Movement totally forgetting its role and choosing to pursue pure politics. For example the formation of the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) was clearly in my view a politically inspired move meant to challenge the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), which is the official mother body recognised by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The objective to challenge the ZCTU was emanating from ZANU PF's misplaced believe that the ZCTU is a purveyor of an MDC agenda. So as we commence the process of resuscitating this ailing economy, every level headed Zimbabwean must encourage the Labour Movement to bury the past and work in unison. If they fail to do that some of us will continue dubbing them "kwashiorkor partners" in this renewed effort to rekindled Zimbabwe's dead economic empire.

Prepared by: Samuel Wadzai Mangoma Former Treasurer General of Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU)

Zimbabwe Economics Society (ZES) articles are coordinated by Lovemore Kadenge (The President)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the Zimbabwe Economics SocietyOn Thursday the 19th March 2009 the Minster of Finance Hon Tendai Biti presented to nation the Short-Term Emergency Recovery Programme (STERP).