MDC-T: Zim heads for political, social unrest

via MDC-T: Zim heads for political, social unrest 16/01/2014 by Garikai Chaunza NewZimbabwe

THE Opposition MDC-T party’s shadow cabinet has said the country’s is in a state of emergency and predicted political and social unrest as the cash-strapped government struggles with a failing economy and fails to honour pre-election promises.

“We realize that the country is in a crisis which manifests its self from a failed leadership,” Nelson Chamisa the MDC-T shadow cabinet spokesperson told NewZimbabwe.com Thursday soon after a meeting held to review the state of the country’s economy.

“Economically the country is in a debilitating and excruciating melt town owing to unprecedented company closures and job loses especially in our major cities and towns.

“This is despite the fact that the country has everything in terms of resources but we have nothing to show as being exhibited by the quality of life individual citizens are experiencing.”

Commenting on the government’s failure award civil servants better salaries which Zanu PF promised during last July’s election campaign Chamisa said “as the alternative government we have realized that there is an industrial turmoil with civil servants’ pockets being empty.

“We as the MDC believe that peace cannot be genuine without industrial peace. We need industrial peace for us to have genuine peace, and clearly the incumbent regime is failing to put in place circumstances and conditions of peace.

“They have abandoned pro-worker and pro-poor policies because they are now the new employer. You will realize this through the collapse of the employment councils; issues of collective bargaining being not pursued, the minimum wage not being not pursued.”

In the run up to the national elections Zanu PF blamed the MDC parties for lack of progress in then inclusive government and accused them of blocking efforts to improve the salaries of government workers.

President Robert Mugabe promised to give civil servants salaries commensurate with the poverty datum line when voted into office.

However, on Wednesday the government offered its employees an increment of $79 which was rejected. Government workers are getting a minimum of $200.

The $79 adjustment would have seen the lowest paid civil servant getting a basic salary of US$375, well short of the Poverty Datum Line of US$540 demanded by unions.