Paper presented at the 3rd African Regional Congress of the International Industrial Relations Association (IIRA) ‘Employment Relations in a Changing World: The African Renaissance’ 6 – 8 March 2002, Cape Town, South Africa Hosted by the Industrial Relations Association of South Africa (Irasa): www.irasa.org.za ISBN Number: 0-620-28023-9 Produced by: Document Transformation Technologies Organised by: Ripcord Promotions THE INSTITUTIONALISATION OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN ZIMBABWE: A PIG IN A POKE FOR TRADE UNIONS? Freek Schiphorst Employment & Labour Studies Programme, Institute of Social Studies, PO Box 29776 – 2502 LT The Hague – The Netherlands E-mail: schiphor@iss.nl Introduction This paper will examine the development of collective bargaining in Zimbabwe from 1980 onwards and its impact on trade unions. The literature on African industrial relations provides examples of how the institutionalisation of collective bargaining proved to be a source of union strength 1 . Similar arguments have also been voiced for Zimbabwe. Mark Shadur’s predicted in the early 1990s: As collective bargaining at industry level proceeds, it is likely that trade unions will increase their membership and strengthen their organisations and bargaining power (1994:225). Lloyd Sachikonye too holds that “[A] major contributory factor to the strengthening of trade unions was the introduction of free collective bargaining in 1989-90” (2001:94). Based on field research conducted between 1986 and 1995 I will refute this, and show how the particular way in which collective bargaining was (re-)introduced in Zimbabwe undermined rather than strengthened trade unions particularly at shopfloor level. The paper will start with a brief historical overview that will show how post-Independent labour legislation borrowed heavily from colonial times. Subsequently the current institutional set-up of collective bargaining will be analysed and a case study will be presented in which the impact of this development on the shopfloor will be examined. The paper will argue that collective bargaining at sectoral level is too far removed from the shopfloor for the unions to use it in recruitment. Secondly, the collective bargaining machinery invites some employers to outbid the agreement reached. Against a background of soaring inflation this too seriously undermines trade union credibility in the eyes of workers. Historical background Immediately after Independence it seemed that the new government wanted to break radically with past practices and institutions. Initially overtures were made in policy statements to establish several forms of workers’ participation leading to full workers’ control (see Schiphorst 2001:189-201). Soon, however, the call for the introduction of collective bargaining got the upper hand. The government declared that: As a member of the International Labour Organization, Zimbabwe will be guided in its labour and employment policies by the constitution and conventions of that body. Government is fully committed to the I.L.O. concept of “tripartism”, that is, that all matters affecting labour should be resolved by free discussion between representatives of Government, employers and workers. The principle of free collective bargaining between employers and workers on pay and conditions of service as enshrined in the law will continue to be respected and guaranteed (Republic of Zimbabwe 1981b:10). 1 E.g. for Nigeria see Andræ & Beckman (1999:274 ff); for Zambia (in the 1970s), see Konings 2000:171