Zimbabwe is that the unions are not just pressing for better wages but also the implementation of what they have agreed to with employers.
Apparently, a sizeable number of employers cannot pay what they promised their employees.
They have entered into collective bargaining agreements, which they are finding difficult to honour.

As a result, they are in arrears by two to three months and in extreme cases six months.
Some employers are only paying half the salaries.
Unions can’t understand why employers are reneging on the agreements. Well, the truth is that most of these employers agreed to those wages in good faith and genuinely believed that they would be able to pay.

But business has taken a turn for the worse.
What employers needed to understand is that the economy they are operating in, the US dollars economy, needs careful planning and they have to keep the staffing levels low.
Loss of one big contract can move a company from profitability to near collapse unless its critical ratios are correct.

Employers are weakening themselves by failing to disclose relevant information to employees during the collective bargaining process. They create the impression that all is well when in fact they are just an overdraft away from sinking.
When things suddenly change, workers find it difficult to accept that their employer cannot pay, especially if there is evidence of profligacy by management.

Unions need to understand that going on strike will not make the situation better. The economy is such that if a company loses production for a week, it may struggle to rise again in the same year. If it loses goodwill of its clients it will sink.
Air Zimbabwe is a case in point. By not flying the planes the pilots were making the situation worse. Perhaps they had the comfort of knowing that the shareholder, in this case the Government, would inject money.

But now Air Zimbabwe is finding it difficult to attract business. It will take years to deal with that perception challenge and that will affect the airline’s ability to pay better.
In fact it has attracted the competition of bigger airlines like Emirates Airline. Market leadership has slipped from its hands.
Workers’ representatives needed to consider all the possible consequences of a strike before going ahead with it. A strike is only useful as a threat but once it is carried out it becomes destructive.

Unions also need to appreciate that they have a common interest with employers to keep the company moving forward and the only way they can be paid more is if production improves.
It is different if the company is profitable and the profits are not trickling down to the workers. But in all the work stoppages recorded in recent months none of the companies and organisations is profitable. There is genuine inability to pay due to depressed business.

The objective therefore should be to save jobs by remaining in business even if it means the workers are not paid on time.
What is important is for the employers to deal with the employees honestly and openly. The relationship between workers and employers must always be based on good faith. Once trust is broken through use of misleading information, strikes are inevitable.

The Zimbabwean economy needs to keep the wheels of production running all the time. For that to happen all the critical stakeholders have to play ball. It is not just about the shareholders but also the workers and the customers have to feel that their interests are being served well.
As national employment councils are engaged in bargaining for further salary and wage reviews, they should learn from the experiences of those that have agreed on certain remuneration levels and are now failing to pay.

Harare City Council is a typical example of an employer who, at the onset of the multiple currency system, got excited and the senior officials offered themselves high salaries and perks. Now they are unable to pay workers on time and there is industrial disharmony.

The situation is different for Government employees whose salaries have been kept low. The on-going strike by prosecutors and law officers has to do more with perceived unfairness in salary levels than anything else. They seem to have a strong case and their grievance should be addressed.

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