Harare — A three-day mass stoppage, called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, ZCTU, was largely ignored on Wednesday, by workers in the capital, Harare, and other provincial cities and centres.
It appears workers countrywide paid little heed to the union's call and chose not to observe the stoppage.
It was business as usual in Harare, with isolated reports of workers staying away at factories in the industrial area. In the city centre and central business district, shops and offices were open as normal and most people turned up for work.
In Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, normal activity was reported, although several banks appeared to shut their doors in the city and in other parts of Zimbabwe.
Union leaders said that in cities outside Harare, they had achieved a fifty percent success rate, but this claim was not borne out by the situation on the ground.
State television showed business leaders in Zimbabwe calling on President Robert Mugabe, who was sworn in on Sunday for another six-year term in office after the recent disputed presidential elections. Several of them said that the priority now for Zimbabwe was to jump start the ailing economy and not for workers to go on strike.
Government-controlled media described the rejection of the mass stayaway in Zimbabwe as a slap in the face for the ZCTU. The influential union called the stoppage to protest against what it called harassment of workers and interference by police in union affairs.
Riot police and security forces were deployed on the streets throughout the country, according to the Assistant Police Commissioner spokesman, Wayne Bvudzijena, to ensure that those intent on committing criminal acts were stopped. The police say the unions are trying to whip up unrest against the government.
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The authorities have declared the stoppage illegal and warned the organizers that it could contravene the tough Public Order and Security act, pushed through parliament shortly before the election. Violation of the law, which bans public gatherings without permission, could lead to imprisonment of up to 20 years or hefty fines.
Union leaders cited fear of the law as a reason for the patchy response to the strike call by workers who are unhappy with the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe.
A number of affiliated unions and workers' groups have dissociated themselves from the action called by the ZCTU.
Zimbabwe's main opposition presidential challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change, who was a labour leader before he moved into full-time politics, has backed the stoppage by the ZCTU. "We support any action that is going to reflect the anger and great disgust that the people of this country have. It's not just the ZCTU which is affected, it is all of us in this country," Tsvangirai told reporters. "The struggle has to continue in whatever form, until we have a legitimate government restored in this country."
But union leaders are bound to be disappointed that the first day of their 3-day strike failed to attract stronger support among workers, although they have pledged to continue the action.
