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date: 2 March 2010

embargo: 00.01 hrs Wednesday 3 March 2010

Don't relax Zimbabwe sanctions, TUC tells Zuma

As South African President Jacob Zuma begins a state visit to the UK, the TUC has today (Wednesday) written to him urging that there must be no relaxation of EU sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe's ruling elite for human rights abuses over the last decade.

In the letter (full text in the notes to editors) TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber says: 'Despite the formation of the Government of National Unity, human rights violations have not stopped. Relaxing sanctions would be seen as a relaxation of support for human rights in Zimbabwe.'

The TUC is particularly concerned by two reports:

a dossier of recent attacks on unions published by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU); and

a report from GAPWUZ - the farm workers' union - on the continuing farm seizures which have left tens of thousands of black farm workers beaten, homeless and unemployed.

In response to the GAPWUZ report, the Zimbabwean security forces raided the union's offices last week, arrested two of its leaders and forced Gertrude Hambira, the General Secretary, into hiding. The TUC and Amnesty International UK are promoting a letter writing campaign urging people to protest at this harassment (see http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-17641-f0.cfm).

Brendan Barber's letter concludes: 'What the two union reports demonstrate is that, prevented from printing money by the dollarisation of the economy, ZANU-PF are now looting the remaining natural resources of Zimbabwe - eg farms and mines - while millions of their fellow Zimbabweans go hungry. And they are using the repressive apparatus of the state to prevent anyone opposing them or even revealing their larceny. Given this situation, I hope that you will agree that the pressure on the ZANU-PF leadership needs to remain in place rather than be relaxed.'

The TUC letter will be handed in at the South African High Commission this morning.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

-Here is the full text of the letter to President Zuma:

Dear President Zuma

I hope you enjoy your state visit to the UK - please be assured of the best wishes of British trade unionists, who have a strong and enduring relationship with South African trade unionists, and a long history of support for the anti-apartheid struggle.

In that same spirit of solidarity, the TUC has been working closely for some years with COSATU and other Southern African trade unionists to support our colleagues in Zimbabwe. They face a difficult situation, and they and we look to you to assist them in any way possible to overcome their problems. In particular, I would urge you not to use your visit to the UK - as has been reported widely over the last few weeks - to argue for the relaxation of European Union sanctions against individuals in Zimbabwe who are held to have been responsible for human rights violations, including attacks on trade unions and working people.

In our view - and more importantly in the view of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) - the human rights violations have not stopped, and any relaxation of sanctions at the moment would be seen as a relaxation of support for human rights in Zimbabwe.

I know that you are well aware of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, but I would draw your attention in particular to two recent developments which I fear show that President Mugabe and the leadership of ZANU-PF have not changed their behaviour.

First, the leadership of GAPWUZ, the ZCTU's farm workers union, have been targeted for harassment and intimidation by the security services in Zimbabwe for publicising (in their report If Something is Wrong) the continued farm invasions of the past year, which have involved violence and brutality predominantly against black farm workers (rather than, as President Mugabe frequently alleges, the white farm owners), many of whom have been left jobless and destitute. The General Secretary of GAPWUZ is in hiding, several of its leaders have been arrested and its offices have been raided, simply for complaining about gross abuses of human rights.

Second, the ZCTU has issued a comprehensive report of violations of trade union rights in the past year, a copy of which I enclose. This demonstrates that, while the inclusive government has provided some additional space for protest by trade unionists and others, they still face human rights abuses. Notable among these was the shootings of striking miners at Shabani Mine in September.

What the two reports from GAPWUZ and the ZCTU demonstrate is that, prevented from printing money by the dollarisation of the economy, ZANU-PF are now looting the remaining natural resources of Zimbabwe - eg farms and mines - while millions of their fellow Zimbabweans go hungry. And they are using the repressive apparatus of the state to prevent anyone opposing them or even revealing their larceny.

In this context, I hope that you will agree that the pressure on the ZANU-PF leadership needs to remain in place rather than be relaxed.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

cc Gordon Brown, David Miliband, Zwelinzima Vavi (COSATU General Secretary)

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Press release (1,000 words) issued 3 Mar 2010