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in Bulawayo, Masvingo, Victoria Falls and the Midlands yesterday with the two warring factions holding separate events.
ZCTU split into two camps last year in the run-up to its elective congress in Bulawayo.
Mr George Nkiwane was elected ZCTU president at the congress and former president Mr Lovemore Matombo remained with the smaller faction.
In Bulawayo, the Matombo faction held its commemorations at Stanley Square in Makokoba while the Nkiwane faction held its own at White City Stadium.
In the Midlands, the Matombo-led splinter group held its commemorations at Ascot Stadium where only a handful of people, most of them unemployed youths, turned up for the event.
The other faction led by Mr Nkiwane marked the day at Mkoba Stadium. Kwekwe played host to the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) event.
Representatives of the factions’ leaders delivered keynote speeches during the poorly attended events.
In Bulawayo the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) did not participate in the commemorations.
In a speech read on his behalf by the faction’s first vice-president, Mrs Angeline Chitambo at Stanley Square where about 100 people turned up, Mr Matombo called on workers in the country to unite in demanding better working conditions and restoration of their dignity.
“Workers Unite, Restore Your Dignity and Achieve PDL,” was the theme of the commemorations.
Mr Matombo said the political environment in the country was hostile to the success of trade unionism and cited alleged incidences of violence against the labour body.
He said the workers were earning far below the $546 Poverty Datum Line (PDL) despite the improvement in the country’s economy.
Mr Matombo said the workers should receive direct benefits from the sale of diamonds and be considered in the ongoing indigenisation programme.
At White City Stadium, close to a thousand people attended the Nkiwane faction’s commemorations under the theme “By Words and Deeds, Proud to be ZCTU.”
Second vice-president Ms Sithokozile Siwela read the ZCTU president’s speech.
The day started with solidarity messages from different affiliate organisations and entertainment was provided by marabi musician, Chase Skuza.
Mr Nkiwane slammed the Inclusive Government, saying it had failed to create jobs thereby leaving more than 90 percent of Zimbabweans unemployed.
Mr Nkiwane said statistics about retrenchment were elusive as companies were not willing to provide that information.
He said 62 percent of the unemployed were youths who were finding it difficult to secure jobs.
“The GNU stabilised the economic situation a bit, but there are still a lot of things still to be done like employment creation.
The number of unemployed youths keeps rising and now there are more than 62 percent of the total unemployed people.
“As such we demand labour law reform because decisions concerning the plight of workers are taking too long to be made, we demand salaries in line with PDL and in time, an end to casualisation of labour, decent work and restoration of livelihoods of workers,” Mr Nkiwane said.
He said the Government should come up with policies to protect workers from exploitation.
As a way forward, the workers said they were against the issue of companies being put under judicial management as they were failing to get their salaries because of that.
Present at White City Stadium were Members of Parliament, Mr Thamsanqa Mahlangu (Nkulumane), Mr Felix Mafa (Magwegwe) Mr Albert Mhlanga (Pumula) and the Minister of State Enterprises and Parastatals Mr Gorden Moyo who urged workers to unite and fight for their rights.
Mr Moyo said the future of workers in the country lay with the revival of industries, adding the new constitution should empower them to have rights.
MDC president Professor Welshman Ncube in a statement said his party treasured the contribution of workers to the national economic development and struggle for freedom in the country.
In the Midlands the commemorations turned out to be a farce with poor turnout at the two ZCTU factions’ commemorations.
The Matombo-led group registered the least number in terms of turnout at the event held at Ascot Stadium.
There were virtually no workers in sight at the commemorations save for the faction’s provincial executive led by the Midlands regional chairman, Mr Isaiah Wandira.
Those who turned up were mostly youths who could be seen jostling for free beer and food provided for at the venue.
There was more drama when the director of ceremonies, Mr Simon Hamadziripi, was subjected to jeers and ridicule as he tried to introduce the faction’s executive.
Trouble started when Mr Hamadziripi tried to gain the attention of the visibly drunk youths.
The drunken youths would interject and ridicule Mr Hamadziripi as he uttered the trade union’s popular slogan “shinga mushandi shinga”.
“Hatishingi kana iwe wakaguta, hatishingi kana imi muchigwira zvigaro musingagwiri welfare yavashandi (We will not remain resolute as workers when we are hungry while you (the executive) dine and wine.
“We will not remain resolute when you fight for ZCTU positions and posts at the expense of workers,” said a visibly drunk man in the crowd.
Mr Hamadziripi had to quickly introduce the regional chairman to address the small gathering despite the interjections.
In his address, Mr Wandira bemoaned the closure of companies in the Midlands province.
He said workers, especially those in the Midlands Province, had no reason to celebrate on May Day because of the deplorable state of industries in the province.
“In the Midlands, Bata is struggling, Zimglass, Zim Allows, and Zimcast industries are closed and with such a scenario, there is nothing for workers to celebrate,” said Mr Wandira.
He urged workers to join hands and conduct peaceful demonstrations against what he called a “failing inclusive Government”.
However, there was a lot of entertainment from a variety of local groups, to thrill the gathering, largely constituted of children. The crowd showed some indifference to the main event speeches at Mkoba Stadium.
The union’s national vice-secretary, Mr Gideon Shoko, later addressed the gathering, which had two Gweru Members of Parliament, Mr Roderick Rutsvara (Gweru Urban) and Mr Amos Chibaya (Mkoba). The two belong to MDC-T.
In Victoria Falls workers snubbed the two warring factions, as they did not attend the commemorations.
A faction led by Mr Matombo had converged at Chinotimba Stadium while the other led by Mr Nkiwane was at a house in Mkhosana Township.
When Chronicle visited Chinotimba Stadium around 12pm, there was only the Mr Matombo led ZCTU Victoria Falls leadership and a handful of children who were dancing to music that was played by a hired disc-jockey.
Mr Boiler Hove then read Mr Matombo’s speech. In Mkhosana Township, Mr Carlos Ncube read Mr Nkiwane’s speech.
In separate interviews in the town, workers said the commemorations were a non-event as unions were failing to deal with challenges they were facing as the tourism sector.
Mr Matthias Ncube of Chinotimba said ZCTU had failed to find possible solutions regarding “modern day slavery” in the sector.
Mrs Irene Sibanda an employee at one of the leading tour and adventure companies said there has never been any unity towards negotiations for better working conditions that has been brought by the commemorations in the tourism sector.
In Masvingo speakers from Mr Matombo’s faction accused the Mr Nkiwane faction of wanting to destroy ZCTU.
In an apparent reference to the MDC-T which has hijacked the labour movement, the PTUZ president Mr Takavafira Zhou said some political parties had interfered with the labour movement and the union now looked like an appendage of a political party.
The PTUZ president said workers ought to be united so that they could speak with one voice.
Speaking at the same occasion, Ministry of Labour and Social welfare Masvingo head Mr Etias Machekeche underscored the need for all workers to do their activities within the confines of the law adding that Government observed the rights of all workers.
Online Reporter