The average Zimbabwean metalworker makes approximately 140,000 Zimbabwean Dollars per month. With inflation climbing daily, now at a world record of 1,700 per cent, workers' salaries are worth less and less each day, while the cost of basic goods continues to soar. In a country where the price of cooking oil is half a month's salary, and a bar of soap is almost a third of a worker's monthly wages, Zimbabweans must struggle more each day to survive.

Zimbabwe, once considered the "breadbasket of Africa", enjoyed a robust economy and thriving workforce in the mid-1990s. Today, the situation for Zimbabweans is dire. Chronic shortages of food, electricity, petrol and medicine has reduced the life expectancy to a tragic 34 years for women, the lowest in the world, and to just 37 years for men. Most Zimbabweans live on one meal a day, some even less. Eight out of ten workers are out of work, and the unemployment rate continues to rise.

Led by Robert Mugabe, independence hero cum dictator, the country's steady decline has been punctuated by a series of bad governmental policy at best, and shocking human rights violations at worst.

"Operation Murambatsvina" which is Shona for "Operation Drive Out Trash", has had undoubtedly the most devastating effect on Zimbabwe's working poor. In May 2005, Mugabe unleashed what he called an "urban renewal program" to squash illegal vendors. The result was the demolition of 94,460 urban homes which left 700,000 people homeless and affected 2.4 million people directly or in directly, according to the United Nations. Between May 2005 and May 2006, prices for accommodation jumped by 3,000 per cent. Because many of the homes destroyed were outside of industrial complexes, metalworkers were largely impacted.

As in many parts of the world, the labour movement in Zimbabwe has been a leading force for change. The Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), to which the National Engineering Workers' Union (NEWU) is an affiliate, has been at the forefront in addressing the workers' suffering under Zimbabwe's economic collapse. Viewed by Mugabe as enemies of the state, members of the ZCTU have been attacked with a force that has astonished the international community, including government-sanctioned beatings, torture, abductions and arbitrary arrests. Mugabe has banned political demonstrations, he has shut down the independent press, and declared war on any and all that criticize his policies.

On April 3 and 4, the ZCTU organized a mass stay away after talks broke down within the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) regarding payment of salaries in accordance with inflation. The TNF is a joint negotiating body that comprises representatives from business, labour and the government, in which the ZCTU has played an active role.

In the days leading up to the action, and those that followed, ZCTU offices were ransacked, staff beaten, and workers and trade union leaders were arrested. Witnesses in the townships reported that people were forced to go to work at gunpoint, many of them had no "work" to go to. Helicopters hovered over downtown Harare and businesses were threatened with losing their operating licence, should they shut production down.

The media was quick to call the worker action a failure, however, given the nature of the stay away, its success is hard to measure. Only 20 per cent of the country is formally employed. Of that number, 70 per cent work for the government. Journalists are denied access to Zimbabwe, so those who operate in the country risk arrest, or worse. In April, Edward Chikombo, a cameraman for the state-run broadcaster ZBC, was found pummelled to death in a shallow grave on the side of the road after he leaked images of a beaten Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and former mineworker and ZCTU General Secretary.
NEWU general secretary, Japhat Moyo, who is also acting assistant general secretary for ZCTU, referred to the recent attacks as, "kicks of a dying horse," and explained the reasoning behind the stay away. "Last time we went to the streets we had our limbs broken," he said, referring to the strike on September 13, 2006 that resulted in the arrest and torture of 15 unionists, many so severely beaten they had to be hospitalised. "If you demonstrate in the streets, you are going to be butchered. We are not going to be sending other people's kids to the war front. We are supposed to be on the front lines ourselves," Moyo said. "The workers decided that we cannot risk our leaders, let's stay at home as a sign of demonstration. Every three months we are doing these activities, and we are not limiting ourselves to only stayaways. If the situation improves, if government upholds human rights principles, we will be able to go to the streets instead of sitting at home."

Many workers believe collective action is the only way change will come. "I have to participate. To make sure that things get better for me, I have to take part in the action," said Brighton Munyaradzi, a serviceman for AFA PVT LTD and NEWU member a few days before the stay away. "If you want to have a better life you have to do something."

Charles Chirowdza, a metalworker at CT Bolts and a member of NEWU doesn't flinch when asked if he is worried about being attacked by police during demonstrations "being beaten is okay," he says. "Because the situation is getting out of control. People are suffering, people are dying. We are suffering so much, " he said as he placed his hand on his stomach, "being beaten is better than this. At least we are trying to accomplish something."

Three months from now, workers will again risk arrest and torture in a brave attempt to win basic worker rights and a living wage.

The Response of IMF

The IMF has taken a three-pronged approach to addressing the problems Zimbabwean metalworkers face.

First, for the past 15 years, the IMF's Africa office has assisted Zimbabwean metal unions in building one strong national metalworkers union through the merging of smaller unions. Their growing strength has helped metalworkers weather the difficult economic climate.

Second, the IMF regional office has been an outspoken critic of Mugabe's attacks on human and labour rights and has worked to encourage IMF affiliates to support change in Zimbabwe through their national centres. "We condemn the current government's terror campaign on the people of Zimbabwe, especially the gross violations of workers rights," said IMF regional representative for Africa, Steve Nhlapo.

"The sub-regional meeting two years ago adopted a resolution calling on all of our affiliates in the southern Africa region to work with their respective national centres to put pressure on the Zimbabwe government to stop the brutal attack on workers and their leaders. We are also encouraging our affiliates in the region to participate in all campaigns that are organized by the national centres and NGO's which focus on changing the situation in Zimbabwe," Steve said, noting that international solidarity will only be as strong as the participation of the affiliates in that region.

In South Africa and Botswana, national centres have demonstrated at the Zimbabwean border in solidarity with the ZCTU. Their criticism of Mugabe's actions have been key to private discussions taking place among the leaders of the Southern African Development Community.

Third, the IMF has supported the International Trade Union Confederation's (ITUC) initiatives to block Zimbabwe's participation in key international summits and its work with the International Labour Organization to bring about change. The IMF regularly reports on developments in Zimbabwe, and is urging its affiliates to work through their national centres in supporting the work of the ZCTU.

This article is an edited version, the full report appears in the latest Metal World available on the IMF website. The report is based on a visit to Zimbabwe by IMF Regional Secretary and Metal World Reporter Kristyne Peter. Text by Kristyne Peter.