INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION (ITUC)
ITUC OnLine
213/031208
Zimbabwe: More than 48 Trade Unionists Arrested during peaceful marches
Brussels, 3 December 2008: The ITUC strongly condemns and protests against the arrest of more than 48 and assault on a
large number of ZCTU (Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions) leaders and members, including the arrest of Secretary General
Wellington Chibebe.
According to the information received by the ITUC, The ZCTU organized peaceful marches to protest against the financial
crisis in Zimbabwe by delivering petitions to banks. Mr. Wellington Chibebe and ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo managed
to hand the ZCTU petition to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor. In most parts of the country, workers managed
to hand in petitions to the RBZ offices.
Chibebe was arrested, with 9 other people, while he was addressing workers just after the delivery. 10 others were
heavily assaulted by the police in Harare. More than 25 have been arrested in Gweru and 6 ion Zvishavane town.
“The violent police force behaviour in Zimbabwe is unacceptable” declared Guy Ryder, ITUC general secretary. “The
physical integrity of those arrested must be respected and all must be released with no delay” he added.
In a letter sent http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/Arrest_of_ZCTU_-_PTUZ_Bank_action2_-_03-12-08.pdf to the authorities, the ITUC urges the government to immediately release Mr. Wellington Chibebe and all others and drop
all charges against them. The ITUC will report the arrest to the ILO Committee on freedom of Association. This matter of
trade union repression will certainly be brought to all other supervisory bodies of the ILO.
Zimbabwe has ratified ILO Convention on freedom of association and the rights to organise. Under these conventions trade
unions have a fundamental right to demonstrate against economic and social policies affecting their members.
Zimbabwe is suffering a severe financial and humanitarian crisis and is plagued by health epidemics like Cholera and
HIV-Aids.
The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. http://www.ituc-csi.org http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI
Video on the repression during a demonstration on 13 September 2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaziwOoA0XI
ENDS