LEAD President Masarira Delivers Scathing Workers’ Day Message, Demands End to Labour Exploitation
By Desire Tshuma
Harare — The President of the Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD), Linda Tsungirirai Masarira, has issued a searing Workers’ Day message for 2026, declaring that Zimbabwean workers are “under siege” and calling for urgent action to restore dignity, justice, and economic liberation.
In her statement released to mark Workers’ Day under the theme “Dignity, Justice, and Economic Liberation for Every Worker” ,Masarira said the day must be one of solemn reflection and unwavering solidarity with millions of Zimbabwean workers whose resilience continues to sustain the nation.
“This is not merely a day of celebration. It is a day of truth. Zimbabwean workers are under siege,” she said.
Masarira painted a grim picture of the labour environment, saying workers are underpaid, overworked, and systematically neglected. She highlighted delayed salaries for civil servants, years of unpaid wages in parastatals, and pensioners condemned to poverty after decades of service.
She said informal workers, who form the backbone of the economy, remain excluded from protection and recognition. “This is not governance. This is exploitation,” Masarira said.
LEAD condemned the erosion of labour rights, citing violations of the Labour Act [Chapter 28:01], Section 65 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, and International Labour Organization obligations.
“Workers are not beggars. Workers are nation-builders. Workers are the economy,” she said.
Masarira issued pointed demands to employers across public and private sectors to comply with the law, respect collective bargaining agreements, pay workers on time and in full, remit pensions and statutory deductions, end the abuse of fixed-term contracts, and guarantee safe, dignified, and equitable working conditions.
“Anything less is not only unlawful, it is immoral,” she said.
Turning to Government, Masarira was unflinching. “You cannot claim to lead a nation while presiding over the suffering of its workers. You cannot speak of development while ignoring labour justice. Labour justice is not optional. It is foundational.”
The LEAD President paid tribute to nurses, teachers, miners, vendors, farmers, and civil servants working under difficult conditions. “We see you. We honour you. We stand with you. Your resilience is not a weakness, it is a revolutionary force,” she said.
She reaffirmed LEAD’s commitment to a living wage for all workers, an end to labour casualisation and exploitation, full pension security and social protection, free and accessible healthcare for workers and their families, strong independent trade unions, and a people-centred economy rooted in dignity, equity, and justice.
“We believe in a Zimbabwe where no worker goes unpaid. No pensioner dies in poverty. No young person is forced into survivalist labour. And no employer is above the law,” Masarira said.
She closed with a rallying call: “On this Workers’ Day, let us rise not just in remembrance, but in resistance. Let us organise, mobilise, and demand what is rightfully ours. An injury to one is an injury to all. Forward with labour justice. Forward with dignity. Forward with a new Zimbabwe.”
