TUC challenges statement by Secretary-General of Commonwealth.

Rt Hon Donald C McKinnon

Secretary-General

Commonwealth Secretariat

Marlborough House

Pall Mall

London

SW1Y 5HX

date: 17 September 2007

contact: Bandula Kothalawala

direct line: (0) 20 74671257

email: bkothalawala@tuc.org.uk

Dear Secretary-General

EU Summit and Zimbabwe

On behalf of the TUC General Council, I write to express our deep disappointment and concern over your recent Statement in support of President Mugabe's participation in the forthcoming EU Summit to be held in Portugal in December 2007.

Support for the Government of Zimbabwe's participation is tantamount to acquiescence to the policies of a regime responsible for numerous violations of human rights and for the unprecedented political, social and economic crisis facing the country. Not only is it contrary to the letter and spirit of the Harare Declaration (Para 9, in particular) but it also sends a wrong signal to states bent on violating human rights and dismantling the rule of law, good governance and democratic dispensation. You may also recall that the EU renewed its sanctions in February this year against persons, including President Mugabe, 'who bear wide responsibility for serious violations of human rights and of the freedom of opinion, of association and of peaceful assembly."

According to the UN Human Rights Commission, some 200,000 people were made homeless in the 'clean-up campaign' in May 2006. A large number of trade unionists and human rights activists were arrested and brutally assaulted following a peaceful protest over the state of the economy and shortages of essential medicines in September 2006. The situation has worsened since then, with the run-away inflation at some 7,600% per year.

For your information, I am enclosing a copy of the Resolution on Zimbabwe adopted at our Congress this month and a copy of the Statement from the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) that clearly supports the EU travel ban.

I urge you to use the good offices of the Commonwealth to persuade the Government of Zimbabwe to find a durable solution to the crisis through dialogue and negotiation.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Barber

General Secretary

73 Solidarity with Zimbabwean trade unionists

Congress notes the appalling situation facing Zimbabwean workers:

i) inflation rocketing so that prices are out of reach of ordinary workers;

ii) declining life expectancy, with women likely to live no longer than 34 years;

iii) high rates of HIV/AIDS, with treatment restricted to supporters of the Government; and

iv) violent repression and harassment of trade unionists.

Congress expresses its solidarity with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and their affiliated unions, and welcomes the widespread international support that they have received, especially from the South African trade union movement. Congress welcomes the action taken by French trade unions to prevent Robert Mugabe attending the Franco-African summit, and by Portuguese trade unions to oppose his participation in the forthcoming
EU-Africa summit.

Congress rejects Robert Mugabe's claim that the problems facing Zimbabwe are the result of imperialist intervention, which is a smokescreen to obscure the responsibility of his destructive and corrupt regime and to deter opposition domestically and regionally. Congress shares the South African trade union movement's concern not only for Zimbabwe, but also for Swaziland, where the longest state of emergency has resulted in similar repression of free and independent trade unions: accordingly, Congress sends its solidarity to the Swaziland trade union movement too.

Congress also condemns the growing government attacks on the Zimbabwean student movement, including the mass expulsion of students at the University of Zimbabwe in July. Congress expresses its solidarity with the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) in its mission to champion and protect education as a fundamental human right.

Congress calls on the General Council and unions to continue to express solidarity with Zimbabwean trade unionists, and encourages unions to affiliate to Action on Southern Africa and join the ACTSA/TUC solidarity committee.

Accord and UCU

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) position on invitation of members of Zimbabwean Government to EU-AU Summit in Lisbon

The ZCTU's position on President Mugabe's invitation to the forthcoming EU-AU summit is that he should not be invited at all.

Mugabe should stay at home and deal with the crisis in his home country. We believe that he and his family should not globe trot while Zimbabwe burns. All those in the Zimbabwean government should not attend the EU-Africa Summit. This is for the simple reason that they are Mugabe's henchmen, who have helped him to plunder the wealth of Zimbabwe at the expense of the ordinary people.

Zimbabweans today find them in an appalling situation as a result of bad governance. More than 80 percent of our population can be safely classified as poor and Mugabe and his cronies are doing nothing to correct the situation. If anything, his friends, family and Ministers have gone on to plunder Zimbabwe's wealth while the ordinary man continues to suffer.

Human and trade union rights abuses also continue unabated. There are more than 30 opposition activists languishing in prison for allegedly petrol bombing police stations. Most of these activists including a Member of Parliament were severely assaulted while in police custody and have been denied medical attention. They have also been denied bail.

Trade unions have been persecuted for standing up to Mugabe. The ZCTU secretary general, Wellington Chibebe was recently taken in for questioning and from the look of things the ZCTU will be again in the courts on some flimsy charges of foreign currency misappropriations. This comes after Cde Chibebe and two other ZCTU staff members were acquitted on charges of stealing ZCTU funds and illegally changing money on the parallel market.

We also predict that these violations are set to increase given the fact that Zimbabwe will be going to elections next March.