The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has noted with great concern the shocking massive price hikes that have affected almost every basic commodity, worsening the plight of the already struggling masses of Zimbabwe.
Prices of most products have gone up by over 50 percent and the prices continue to rise at break-neck speed and this has seriously eroded the incomes of ordinary workers who are finding it hard to survive on their meager wages. Labour notes that most workers earn an average of $300 a month and therefore cannot afford to buy the goods in most shops.
Unscrupulous retailers are using the three-tier pricing system to swindle consumers while authorities just stand by without taking action. There are prices of those who use the United State Dollar, the bond note and those who use electronic transfers. In most cases those who use the electronic transfers are made to pay through the nose.
Indeed if this is what is called “open for business” then Zimbabweans are in for a torrid time.
We urge the government to move in and protect the consumers before the prices spiral out of hand. The government has a responsibility to protect the vulnerable when the market fails to regulate itself. The ZCTU reiterates its earlier demand for a 50 percent upward review of wages and salaries across the board to compensate for the increases in basic commodities.
Japhet Moyo
SECRETARY-GENERAL
