Brussels, 15 May 2008: Pressure is high for trade unionists in Zimbabwe. Raymond Majongwe, the General Secretary of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and a member of the General Council of the ZCTU, has been arrested while ZCTU President Lovemore Motombo and Secretary General Wellington Chibebe are still in detention.
Raymond Majongwe was apprehended by the police at the High Court of Zimbabwe in Harare today while he was attending the bail hearing of Lovemore Matombo and Wellington Chibebe. According to the information received, his arrest might be linked to PTUZ material concerning the violence and harassment of teachers at their workplaces during the current wave of political violence in the country.
Zimbabwe has an obligation to include a representative of the most representative workers’ organization in this country to the 97th session of the International Labour Conference beginning on 28 May 2008. As the leaders of the ZCTU, the most representative national trade union organisation in Zimbabwe, Lovemore Matombo and Wellington Chibebe should be freed in order that they may fulfill their role as part of the Zimbabwe delegation.
The international trade union movement is monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe very closely, will report this new arrest to the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association, and is seriously considering bringing the matter of trade union repression to other
supervisory bodies of the ILO. The ITUC has appealed to its affiliates and partners of the ITUC around the world, including Amnesty International, to call for the immediate release of all detained trade unionists.
In a letter sent to the authorities, the ITUC strongly urges President Mugabe to immediately release Mr. Lovemore Motombo, Mr. Wellington Chibebe and Raymond Majongwe and drop all charges against them.
The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates.
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