US embassy cable - 04HARARE865

UNCLAS HARARE 000865 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/S 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER 
USDOC FOR AMANDA HILLIGAS 
PASS USTR FLORIZELLE LISER 
STATE PASS USAID FOR MARJORIE COPSON 
USDOL FOR ROBERT YOUNG 
STATE FOR MARINDA HARPOLE 
 
E. O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, PHUM, ETRD, ECON, EINV, PGOV, ZI, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) 
SUBJECT: Tripartite National Forum Falters 
 
Ref: A) Harare 00831 
 
  1.   (SBU) Summary: Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions 
(ZCTU) refuses to restart Tripartite National Forum (TNF) 
talks due to GOZ's prior bad faith negotiation. ZCTU also 
refuses to join Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono's 
advisory panel for the same reasons. End Summary 
 
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Tripartite National Forum 
---------------------------- 
 
  2. (SBU) TNF offers a venue for government, labor, and 
employers to discuss the country's economic situation as 
equals. ZCTU General Secretary Wellington Chibebe claims 
that GOZ's unilateral 300% fuel price hike before TNF 
discussions on the issue were concluded demonstrated bad 
faith. GOZ then announced that ZCTU backed the fuel hike. 
 
  3.   (SBU) ZCTU believes GOZ uses TNF talks to implement 
already formulated policies. The Employers Confederation 
of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ), which represents employers at TNF 
negotiations, understands ZCTU reluctance to re-join 
negotiations but they have agreed to participate. 
 
  4.   (SBU) ZCTU places conditions on re-starting talks, 
including the lifting of prohibitive legislation 
regarding the holding of meetings, freedom of 
association, denial of bail, and press registration. 
 
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Gono's Own Private TNF? 
-------------------------- 
 
  5.   (SBU) Gono told Ambassador Sullivan he will expand 
his advisory council to 29 members, including 
representatives from ZCTU and others in civil society. He 
claimed ZCTU agreed to join. However, the Solidarity 
Center local representative states that ZCTU places the 
same pre-conditions (See paragraph 4) on joining this 
panel. ZCTU will issue a critique of Gono's policies. 
 
  6.   (SBU) Interestingly, in conversations with EMCOZ 
and the International Labor Organization (ILO), no one 
brought up Gono's panel expansion despite being prompted 
to do so. This suggests Gono has not advertised his plans 
too widely. He may be trying to create his own TNF and 
increase his power and position within GOZ. 
 
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Comment 
---------------- 
 
  7.   (SBU) ZCTU's principled decision against both 
rejoining TNF discussion and sitting on Gono's advisory 
panel avoids a GOZ trap. As the fuel saga demonstrates, 
GOZ negotiates only with an eye for its own gain. 
 
  8.    (SBU) EMCOZ agreed to the TNF negotiations (but 
made no mention of Gono's panel at all) due to their 
warmer relations with GOZ and fears that a refusal would 
sour those relations. In addition, EMCOZ members gain 
much more if they can influence GOZ thinking on issues 
like price controls and removing the Z$824-US$1 official 
exchange rate. ZCTU members benefit from such decisions 
only through a trickle-down theory, if at all. 
 
9. (SBU) Gono's miscalculation of ZCTU's willingness to 
join his advisory panel may simply represent a mistaken 
belief. However, it may also indicate that the Reserve 
Bank Governor tends to tell his audience what he thinks 
they want to hear. 
 
Sullivan