TNF operationalization stalls due to leadership crisis

The operationalisation of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) secretariat is stalled due to delays in the appointment of the executive secretary to lead the forum.

The TNF, a social dialogue platform that brings together Government, business and labour to discuss socioeconomic matters, was formed in 1998, initially as a voluntary forum, but later legislated through the Tripartite Negotiating Forum Act of 2019.

The law provides the formation of the secretariat to run the day-to-day activities of the forum.

“Three candidates were shortlisted and went through the security vetting but the chair of the TNF (The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development), hasn’t announced the appointment,” Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) secretary general Japhet Moyo said.

ZCTU and the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Union (ZFTU) represent organised labour in the TNF.

An official at the Ministry said the Government has not yet secured the office space where the secretariat will work from. “It is a work in progress but the major impediment is the office space where the secretariat will operate from,” said the official.

The operationalisation of the secretariat was expected to facilitate the revival and effective operations of the TNF main wing. The revival of the main wing is hanging in a balance after the partners failed to agree on a national minimum wage.

Labour is demanding a minimum wage be negotiated at a national level and partly paid in foreign currency while the Government and business argue that negotiations for wages should be done at a sector level and rejected the proposed blanket policy of compelling companies to pay in foreign currency.

The ruling party aligned – the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Union and opposition backed the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union recently wrote to President Mnangagwa seeking a meeting to ask for his help to break the impasse.-chronicle.co.zw