Mass protests loom in Zim as workers demand US dollars
The government is scrambling to avoid crippling mass action as workers reject devalued salaries and the controversial bond note
Harare — Zimbabwe is this week likely to witness a wave of mass protests by government workers if President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration does not strike a deal with labour unions which are demanding a pay rise. Among the workers’ demands is to be paid at least a portion of their salaries in US dollars as the country’s controversial surrogate currency, the bond note, continues to be rejected by citizens. Doctors at public health institutions have been on a strike that has lasted over a month and teachers as well as other government workers have threatened to follow suit as Zimbabwe’s economy continues to languish in the doldrums. The economic crisis has hit workers the most as their salaries have been devalued threefold due to currency distortions, and citizens have grown impatient with government, with several labour unions calling for mass protests. On Monday, government is set to meet representatives of all its 300,000 workforce in a bid to avert a crippling mass action. In...
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