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Zimbabwean workers yesterday joined the rest of the world to celebrate Workers’ Day amid calls by President Mnangagwa for employers to review salaries and conditions of service for their workers. 

President Mnangagwa who paid tribute to Zimbabwean workers for their role in building the national economy and sustaining families, said Government was aware of the plight of workers hence the call for employers to review salaries and conditions of service.

“My Government is fully aware of the challenges facing the labour sector,” said President Mnangagwa.

He challenged employers to celebrate the Workers’ Day by reflecting and evaluating the welfare, remuneration, conditions of service, safety and state of workers among other issues. 

President Mnangagwa said the Second Republic was giving due attention to the labour sector because it was aware that it can only realise modernisation, industrialisation, growth and prosperity of the economy with workers as partners. 

He expressed disquiet over the counter-productive   machinations by irresponsible and unpatriotic members of industry and businesses who continue to frustrate and undermine the economic, modernisation and industrialisation agenda. 

President Mnangagwa said the wanton unjustified increases in the prices of basic commodities were unpalatable and may point to some other sinister motives.

“This conduct must stop forthwith,” said Cde Mnangagwa. 

He said Government will not stand by and leave workers and the rest of Zimbabweans at the mercy of a small group with rent seeking and profiteering tendencies.

Government has said the unscrupulous industry and businesses fleecing consumers through charging exorbitant prices are economic saboteurs. 

Action should be taken now against those value chain players found to be fuelling unjustified prices increases thereby imposing hardship on the citizens for wanton profiteering.

Government should not hesitate to punish these defiant industry or businesses that are profiteering by charging exorbitant prices. 

There is high level of indiscipline in the marketplace as rightly observed by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube.

Minister Ncube said recently that the wave of prices increases being experienced on the market had no economic justification. 

Government should deal decisively with this small group with rent seeking and profiteering tendencies in order to protect the suffering consumers.

These few economic saboteurs are pushing Government to introduce price controls so that they cry foul. Government should therefore find other ways of reining them in.

 We want at this juncture to implore employers to take heed of President Mnangagwa’s call to restore the decency and dignity of workers by paying decent salaries.