Zimbabwe: Stand in solidarity with workers under attack!

Nurses and Doctors strike for PPE and major changes to health system

The following is reprinted from our comrades of the Revolutionary Workers Group of Zimbabwe (RWG-Z):

The RWG wishes to extend our most unflinching support to the workers of Zimbabwe for their resolve to re-ignite the struggle for a living wage. The past days we have seen the Health workers bravely expressing their disgust with the slave wages that the junta regime is paying them notwithstanding workers’ brave struggle to continue saving lives following the deadly outbreak of the Corona virus globally. It is also important to appreciate that these workers are also having to put up with long shifts and working in a very dangerous environment without adequate supply of PPEs. The sad part is that the workers have however, seen their living standards continue to get worse particularly as a result of hyperinflation and the unchecked loss of value of the worthless Bond notes/RTGS /Zim $ that even tuckshops are increasingly refusing as a medium of exchange.

The pain is being felt across the entire working class as the life of the poor in general has deteriorated dramatically, particularly in this lockdown period; an increasingly unpopular, reckless and elite lockdown which has made the lives of the poor more difficult than anything. What is shocking is that this regime which is saddled with serious corruption relating to award of tenders for COVID PPEs seems not to take the situation seriously. They recently announced a meagre 50% salary increase for civil servants as well as a US$ 75-00 allowance whose operational modalities nobody seems to understand, without any consultation with the workers. This is the height of the military regime’s arrogance on matters of workers and the poor in general. It is in that regard that as RWG, we stand in firm support to the announcement by the teachers and other civil servants that they shall be protesting against the slave wages on the 22nd of June 2020.

This protest should begin a campaign for a general strike across all exploited and oppressed sectors of society, to address not only the failure of the Covid strategy, but the underlying economic collapse that is being paid for by the working people. A strike committee elected by all workers in struggle should coordinate this campaign and prepare workers’ defence committees against the repressive state forces.

Let all the poor masses arise led by the working class. As Lenin and Leon Trotsky used to say leadership of the revolutionary struggle should permanently reside in the most oppressed and exploited proletariat class.

Our program addresses the basic needs of our class to survive, for safe and healthy work conditions our program picks up the forgotten promises of the anti-imperialist revolution. We fight to win jobs, education, health care for all. To win we need class independence and working class unity that brings the skilled workers, the daily laborers and our class allies among the street vendors, farm workers, the radicalized students and intellectuals together to build independent working class organizations in every workplace and community that advance and defend our movement. For survival, workers need to assert control of all PPE and use masks at work and in street actions, strikes and assemblies.

To escape the continuous economic crisis of Zimbabwe we say build union caucuses around transitional demands. To win Jobs for all with a living wage we advocate class struggle actions that make the bosses and imperialists pay billions in public works to build schools, clinics, hospitals and distribution centers for basic needs.

To defend the rights of our class we fight for democratic rights of the workers, the super-exploited and oppressed peoples in the workplace, streets and public domain.

To win these immediate survival demands and the fight for workers democracy against the brutal military regime, independent workers organisations and unions must unite to form an independent workers’ party capable of leading the class to power and a Workers’ and poor Farmers Government with a program to build a socialist republic as part of a wider South African Union of Socialist Republics!

Let’s make this a long winter for the exploiting class. For a militant campaign of strikes building for a general strike against the military regime and for a Workers’ Government!

Jobs for all! For a 30 hour workweek at 40 hours Pay! We demand a sliding scale of wages, hours and prices and employment for all who can work!! For guaranteed employment for all who are able, a guaranteed income for all! Land must be distributed to all poor peasants together with a state bank to provide cheap credit to all small farmers!

Workers break with the MDC and ZANU PF and form a workers party! No to US and Chinese imperialism!

For workers councils and for a workers state based upon them that defends workers and peasants against the local and foreign capitalists! For a workers and peasants’ government on the basis of the armed people to implement decisions that benefit the workers and the poor.

For an African socialist revolution as part of the international revolution that alone can guarantee a better life for all! For a new world party of socialist revolution based on the Transitional Program of 1938 to lead the revolution to end capitalism and open the road to socialism! Viva Workers of Zimbabwe!! Viva Socialism!!

Revolutionary Workers Group of Zimbabwe (RWG-ZIM), 06/21/2020
Email: rwg.zimbabwe@gmail.com Website: http://www.rwgzimbabwe.wordpress.com