Mozambique: Class Central for Economic Independence

Maputo — Mozambican President Daniel Chapo declared on Saturday that the working class is "the central pillar for the construction of the economic independence of Mozambique'.

Opening the 8th Congress of the country's main trade union federation, the OTM (Mozambican Workers' Organisation), in the southern municipality of Matola, Chapo said "it is the workers who build Mozambique', and that the labour stability achieved in the country is now one of its main competitive advantages.

Matola is the main industrial city in Mozambique, and Chapo described it as "the working-class heart of Mozambique'. He said that, despite the crises that Mozambique has faced, including natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic, "Mozambican workers are continuing to advance and sustain the nation's progress'.

Chapo noted that the year of the OTM's 8th Congress coincides with the 50th anniversary of Mozambican independence in 1975. He called for "consolidating the foundations of economic independence'. This was a moment when "the present enters into dialogue with the future and when the country should transform the freedom it has won into "well deserved prosperity and dignity for all'.

Chapo believed that now is "a crucial moment for renewing energies, affirming a modern leadership and strengthening the mission of the working class'.

Over the decades, he added, the OTM had protected workers' rights and kept alive "the flame of working-class justice'.

The theme of the Congress is "Consolidation of Trade Union Democracy, Labour Justice and Social Welfare'. Chapo said this demands a national commitment to strong trade unions, dignified labour and social transformation.

Trade union leadership in the 21st century, he added, should rest on political, economic and social intelligence in negotiations, on a strategic vision oriented towards the common good.

Chapo declared that his government is committed to workers' dignity, to wage justice, to technical and professional training, and to a reduction in informal labour.

"Stability only exists where there is social dialogue', he warned, stressing that strong and respected trade unions are indispensable for the growth of Mozambique.