THE Zimbabwe Textile Workers’ Union (ZTWU) has said the textile industry in Bulawayo is dead and called for government to introduce a specific budget to revive the sector. BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
Speaking at a Press conference held at the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) offices in the city yesterday, ZTWU regional officer Tofarasei Chiware said some of the companies had shut down while some were under judicial management.
He said firms still operating had scaled down.
“From the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme era, the textile industry has been in the doldrums.
“In the 1990s companies downsized,” Chiware said. “Some of the companies which used to employ 2 000 workers now have only 100 workers each.”
He said companies such as National Blankets, Cotton Printers and Merlin used to employ 2 000 workers.
“To date Cotton Printers, Coats Zimbabwe, Silkwood Prints, Dreyton Textiles, Andys Suppliers, Trifil and David Whitehead in Bulawayo have closed down,” Chiware said.
“The remaining operational companies have less than 100 employees each, namely National Blankets, Zimbabwe Grain Bag, Cotton Waste, Pension Knitwear, Meville Knitwear, International Screen Printers, Miller and Thomson, Universal Bags, Textile Mills (under judiciary management), Dian Holdings and Helio Textile and Polypackaging.”
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He said the closure of companies violated workers’ human rights and no one seemed to care.
“The government has not taken the situation in the textile industry seriously,” Chiware said.
“They must put up a budget to revive the industry instead of the so-called Distressed Industries and Marginalised Areas Fund, which has proven to be useless, as it is not endorsed by any law.”
ZCTU’s Western region chairman Reason Ngwenya said workers from the closed companies were still struggling to get their packages.
