ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe strike begins slowly after government threats

Fear crippled a national strike called by Zimbabwe unions on Tuesday (April 3) as workers, companies and shops heeded government warnings to continue with business in an economy verging on collapse. President Robert Mugabe's government says the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) called the strike as part of a plot by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to oust it and promised tough action against any open protests. The ZCTU said the two-day stay-away action was spurred by Zimbabwe's economic crisis, which has seen inflation soar to more than 1,700 percent and left most workers struggling both to pay their bills and feed their families. The government sent a helicopter patrol winging over the city while riot police patrolled central Harare, but there were few visible signs of increased police presence in industrial districts and restive townships. Images filmed in secret by Reuters showed many firms operating as usual. Banks, offices and shops were open in the capital's central business district. The ZCTU say workers want a minimum wage of 1 million Zimbabwe dollars ($4,000 on the official market but worth $50 on the black market) and for the government to resolve an economic meltdown and increase access to AIDS drugs. The ZCTU accused authorities of intimidation but said the job boycott was successful.

ITN Source | April 3, 2007

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