ZIMBABWE Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Peter Mutasa says the labour body will announce a series of dates for fresh protests after the July 31 anti-corruption march. In an interview with NewsDay Midlands Reporter Brenna Matendere (ND), Mutasa (PM) spoke about harassment of trade unionists by the State, including arbitrary arrests and abductions. Below are excerpts. ND: What is your history in trade unionism? PM: I joined a trade union in 1997 soon after getting employed by the Standard Chartered Bank. I was initially an unconcerned passive member of the trade union until I was unfairly dismissed in 1999 and was defended by the workers’ committee and union. That is when I became active and was elected in the workers’ committee. By 2003 I was the workers committee chairperson at Standard Chartered Bank and by 2005 was Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers’ Union (Zibawu) branch secretary. In 2006, I was elected Zibawu vice-president, then president and now its general-secretary. In 2012, I was also elected ZCTU vice-president and president from 2016 to date. At international level, I was honoured to be elected UNI Global Union Africa youth executive member and currently UNI Africa finance executive member. I was also an executive member of Southern African Trade Union Council. The responsibilities came with risks and I was dismissed for trade union activities by an exploitative Standard Chartered Bank in 2007. We also face brutality daily from the State which includes arrests and abductions. ND: Can you recount some of the worst cases of torture and persecution of ZCTU members? PM: Just like in colonial Rhodesia, trade union activists in Zimbabwe have suffered horrific brutalities at the hands of the State. There is no difference between Rhodesia treatment of trade unionists and Zimbabwe government practice. For ZCTU, ever since we differed with the Zanu PF government on the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme, corruption, one party State and other governance, social and economic issues we have been on the receiving end. All our leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Gibson Sibanda (all late), Wellington Chibebe and Lovemore Matombo, Japhet Moyo and George Nkiwane and now me have been abused by the State together with other activists. We have been arrested, abducted, tortured, jailed, beaten and threatened. (The late MDC leader) Morgan Tsvangirai was almost assassinated at the ZCTU offices. Wellington, Matombo and other leaders were badly beaten on September 13, 2006 and left for dead. Some eventually died from the injuries. Moyo and I faced treason charges just for discharging our duties. These are recorded in various international labour records. ND: Since the COVID-19 lockdown on March 30, how has been the life of a worker in Zimbabwe? PM: Miserable. According to ZimStats, 76% of the 2,9 million employed persons above the age of 15 are holding an informal job. The lockdown policy failed to take into account these realities. The majority of these workers live from hand to mouth and have to work daily. The lockdown