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date: 20 June 2008

embargo: 00.01hrs Monday 23 June 2008

TUC urges Southern Africa to send more election observers to Zimbabwe

On the day that the leaders of the Zimbabwean trade union movement go on trial in Harare for speaking out against the violence and intimidation of the re-run Presidential election campaign, the TUC has today (Monday) written to the leaders of Zimbabwe's 13 Southern African neighbouring countries, pleading with them to send more election observers into the country before the polls open this Friday (27 June).

In a letter to the heads of state of the South African Development Community (SADC), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber says that the horrific reports from Zimbabwe of people being driven from their homes, beaten, tortured and even murdered, means the election will be anything but free and fair.

Brendan Barber's letter says that the governments of the Southern Africa must urgently send more election observers into Zimbabwe, for there to be even the slightest hope for free and fair elections. With 9,000 polling stations across the country, and SADC election observers currently numbering just 250, there will clearly not be anything like the number of independent witnesses needed to report what really happens this Friday.

To mark the trial today of Lovemore Matombo and Wellington Chibebe, the President and General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the TUC and Action for Southern Africa are holding a lunchtime demonstration outside the Zimbabwean Embassy on the Strand. Demonstrations are also taking place in Africa (Malawi and Nigeria, among others) and protests are being organised by trade unionists and campaigners across the world, from New Zealand to South Africa. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber and European Commission Vice President Margot Wallström will both attending the demonstration.

Lovemore and Wellington were arrested last month following speeches they made at a May Day rally about the violence and intimidation that has become widespread during the re-run election campaign. Charged with supposedly spreading 'falsehoods prejudicial to the state', a condition of the bail secured by the two union leaders has prevented them from speaking in public or attending public meetings.

Unable to speak out against Mugabe's blatant attempt to steal this week's election, the violence directed at trade unionists and opposition activists, and the disastrous state of the economy where inflation runs at over 10,000 per cent, Lovemore and Wellington have been gagged by the State.

To give these two incredibly brave men a voice, the TUC will be unfurling a giant picture mosaic of the union leaders - made up of the faces of almost 2,000 of their supporters from around the globe - allowing them to 'appear' at a demo, something their bail condition prevents them from doing in Zimbabwe.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Ordinary Zimbabweans spoke out in the first Presidential election on 29 March, but now their voice is being gagged by violence, intimidation and restricting their leaders' freedom of speech. Zimbabwe's trade unions are being targeted by Mugabe's thugs because they represent the real voice of the people.

'Across Southern Africa, and all around the world, fellow trade unionists are now giving a voice to the voiceless and showing our solidarity with Zimbabwe's people in their fight to free themselves from brutal oppression and economic disaster.'

European Commission Vice President Margot Wallström said: 'Europe, Africa and the whole world are watching events in Zimbabwe closely and with great concern. The crisis around the elections is the tip of the iceberg of a crisis which is affecting trade unions too, and I want to express my support, as Vice-President of the European Commission, to your campaign for freedom of speech and freedom of organisation for trade unionists in Zimbabwe.'

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has been one of the fiercest critics of the Mugabe regime, and the opposition MDC candidate for the Presidency, Morgan Tsvangirai, was Wellington's predecessor as ZCTU General Secretary.

Notes to editors:

- If you would like to use the photo mosaic, contact the TUC press office.

- Pictures for the mosaic have been emailed and texted to the TUC from around the globe, from countries including Denmark, Israel, Russia, Malta, Romania, Nigeria, Nepal, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Belgium, Finland, Chile, France, Switzerland, Dominican Republic, India, Germany, Canada, the USA, Australia, Norway, Ireland and South Africa.

-SADC countries are: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe itself.

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (800 words) issued 23 Jun 2008