Zimbabwe faces a deepening economic and social crisis. Any hopes of a speedy restoration are quickly fading. The powerlessness that currently exists in this country arises as much from economic marginalisation as from the lack of power of ordinary people in dealing with the everyday economic problems that affect them.
The underprivileged majority view the economic and social machinations of government with increasing dismay and anger. The labour movement is faced with a serious challenge, now and in the future. While talks might arrest the deteriorating economic situation, the situation demands an urgent national recovery programme.
Any process that deals with economic and social policy should, at the same time, empower people to be part of a strategy of implementation and development. It is not enough to have a national forum at which a few (generally powerful) voices are heard. What is needed is a wider process of participation in understanding and setting the national economic and social agenda.
The National Working People's Convention (NWPC), which is co-ordinated by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) strives to achieve this goal through input from both the labour movement and other economic groupings.
Having resorted to stayaways and mass action as the last resort at the disposal of labour movement in trying to address the economic ills, the ZCTU General Council of November 1998, resolved to call off the mass stayaways scheduled for every Wednesday.
The Federation submitted a position paper to government and business calling for the convening of a Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF). Following government's response and commitment to this process, the ZCTU decided to give the talks a chance and test government sincerity. As always though, stayaways and mass actions remain an option.
On 11 February this year, the ZCTU held an extra-ordinary General Council meeting to receive a report and review progress made in negotiations in the TNF.
The Council concluded that government's sincerity in taking specific measures to arrest the economic crisis was questionable. It was further noted that government continued to dither on the crucial matters of the escalating inflation rate, the severe national debt, day-to-day increases in the prices of basic commodities, the devaluation of the local currency, corruption and scandals and the land question.
In light of the above, the General Council resolved to:
The ZCTU also decided to convene a three day National Working People's Convention (NWPC) from 26-28 February, aimed at finding lasting solutions to the economic woes Zimbabwe is facing.
The NWPC is a process that seeks to forge national action, based on the economic and social agenda of working people's hopes and aspirations. The aim is for people to collectively identify and discuss common problems, analyse the underlying causes of these problems and to propose and take collective action to remove these causes.
The Convention brought together more than 350 delegates from within ZCTU structures and other civic organisations countrywide. It adopted the following Declaration:
The Convention further noted:
The NWPC noted that these resolutions, and the more detailed Agenda for Action that arises from them, will not be realised without a strong, democratic, popularly driven and organised movement of the people. It also noted that such a movement should recognise and protect the discrete and independent role and mandates of the various organisations of working people, including the labour movement, informal traders' organisations and peasant farmers' associations.
The Convention thus resolved to take these issues to the people across the country, to mobilise them towards the working people's agenda, and to implement a vigorous and democratic political movement for change.
A post-convention meeting was held in Harare on 7-9 May. It saw the birth of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The meeting declared that:
At the same meeting, a National Working Group was set up to act as the Steering Committee of the MDC. This group is made up of Policy-Sub Committees, a Mobilising and Organising Committee, a Fund-raising Committee and an Information and Publicity Committee.
The National Working Group held a report back meeting on 5 June 1999. Steering committees are in the process of being built in 12 towns. The Provincial Steering Committees are on track. The focus now is on setting up district and local committees.
The Working Group resolved to convene an orientation workshop to educate the elected Sub-Committees on their roles and duties. All of this will be informed and shaped by the recent ZCTU extraordinary Congress held on 3 July. Efforts to spread the MDC's tentacles throughout the country are continuing.