CASWUZ

BARGANING IN FOREIGN CURRENCY

Newsletter  for January 2009

The year 2009 has opened itself with enormous challenges encapsulated with dark clouds. The purchasing power of  the Z$ is literally valueless as a tradeable currency.

In view of this, the ZCTU, sitting on the 17^th January 2009 deliberated on the expected negotiation framework and noted the following:

-that the Z$ no longer hold any value as medium of exchange;

-that every trading transaction in Zimbabwe including basic food staffs is in foreign currency;

-that every facet of life in Zimbabwe is sustained by foreign currency;

-that even where products are priced in Z$ the money is prohibitively high.

As a result, ZCTU instructed its affiliates to negotiate wages based on US$. If employers refuse this method of payment, workers will be left with no options but to withdraw labour and use it elsewhere for their survival.

This means that starting January 2009 CASWUZ like all other unions in Zimbabwe started to negotiate on that basis.

In order for CASWUZ to succeed on this path, we should remain united. It is during this time that the unions’ enemies will seek to divide us.

*The Zimbabwean market has been dollarised.

* That most social services such as education, health, rentals and transport, among other things, have been dollarised.

Therefore, thats why it was resolved that starting from January , the generality of the workforce should negotiate wages in terms of the United States Dollars.