The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is perturbed by government controlled media’s deliberate misrepresentation of facts with regards to ZCTU’s position on dollarisation.
The Sunday Mail issue of January 4 2009 refers to ZCTU’s Secretary General, Wellington Chibebe as being opposed to workers being paid in foreign currency.
The ZCTU position is clear and says that all workers should be paid in foreign currency given the fact that shops are now selling their goods in foreign currency even those that have not been licensed to do so.
Workers are even forced to pay rentals and fares in foreign currency. “Government” has just announced that public hospitals can now charge for their services in foreign currency but the majority of workers who utilize these hospitals do not earn in foreign currency.
It seems the Sunday Mail has chosen to misrepresent the ZCTU’s position. The ZCTU is still demanding that “government” should do away with dollarisation and if not, all workers should be paid their salaries in foreign currency.
The authorities pretend to hate America yet they scramble for the American dollar. To the ZCTU this is a display of double standards.
We urge, public media to report correct facts and not twist the facts to suit its agenda.
Gideon Shoko
ACTING SECRETARY GENERAL
7 January 2008
