The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has indicted the Harare to stop arrests, detentions, violence and torture of workers with immediate effect.
The labour organization conducted a Commission of Inquiry into the Zimbabwe labour market last year. The report of the Commission of Inquiry notes that workers were still being harassed and intimidated long after the formation of a unity government last year.
In its report the ILO’s Commission of Inquiry on Zimbabwe said that labour is concerned with the continued decline in the rule of law.
“The Commission recommends that all anti-union practices as set out in our findings-arrests, detentions, violence, torture, intimidation and harassment, inteference and anti-union discrimination- cease with immediate effect and that steps be taken by the authorities to ensure that there is no repetition of such acts in the future,” the ILO said.
It recommended that among other things, that “steps be taken to bring all outstanding and pending court cases against trade unionists to an end”.
It recommended also that the newly appointed Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission be “rendered operational as soon as possible”.
The ILO called for the training and education to key institutions and personnel in the country, “most notably, the police, security forces and the social partners, in relation to freedom of association and collective bargaining, civil liberties and human rights”.
“The Commission wishes to stress the essential place of the rule of law and the role of the courts in ensuring that an environment exists in the country in which freedom of association and collective bargaining may be enjoyed in practice,” the ILO report says.
