ZIMBABWE: POLITICAL, TRADE UNION AND HUMAN RIGHTS (Convention)

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers is deeply alarmed by the continued deterioration of political freedoms,  human rights, labor rights and economic conditions in the Republic of Zimbabwe resulting from the following acts of tyranny and repression carried out since 2000 by president Robert Mugabe, his ruling political party and the Zimbabwe security forces:

• Manipulating the political process through violence, intimidation and fear, including against Zimbabwe teachers, who defended voting transparency and fair elections while serving as polling station agents and vote counters in recent presidential and parliamentary elections; and
• Carrying out a reign of terror against the political opposition, trade unionists, civil society groups and the people of Zimbabwe following March 29, 2008, elections in which 28-year president Mugabe was defeated by  Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai (the former secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions); and
• Savagely assaulting, beating and torturing Morgan Tsvangirai for democratically opposing the Mugabe regime in elections, referenda and peaceful protests,  trying him on trumped-up charges of treason (an offense punishable by death) in 2002 and again in 2003, and detaining him on four separate occasions in the lead up to runoff presidential elections on June 27, 2008; and
• Forcing Morgan Tsvangirai through threats of violence to flee Zimbabwe after winning a plurality of votes in the March presidential elections and then forcing him through a reign of terror against voters to withdraw from the June runoff elections and to seek refuge in the Dutch embassy; and
• Cutting off humanitarian assistance to starving Zimbabweans, including women and children, under the pretense that international aid agencies were supporting the opposition candidate; and
• Repeatedly violating international labor rights, including the creation of government-sponsored shadow unions, freezing the payment of salaries, using unfair delaying tactics to hinder collective bargaining, and creating a hostile labor environment through the surveillance of trade union activities by police, security forces and ruling party militias; and

WHEREAS, acts of brutal repression, violence and intimidation committed by Mugabe and his supporters during recent elections have been condemned by world leaders, including African heads of state and the African National Congress of South Africa as well as the U.N. Security Council, all of whom have called for a return to civility and for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe; and

WHEREAS, the Zimbabwean Election Commission declared Mugabe the winner of the presidential runoff on June 27 even though the opposition had withdrawn from the election and Mugabe supporters had to use threats of violence to get voters to the polls:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers support the call for a peaceful resolution to the current election crisis, acceptance of the results of the election as expressed by the Zimbabwean people on March 29, 2008, and an immediate end to politically motivated intimidation and violence; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers stand in solidarity with labor unions in South Africa, Mozambique,  Angola and Namibia that have refused to deliver shipments of Chinese-manufactured arms to the government of Zimbabwe—weapons that can only inflame the political crisis; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers acknowledge the courage of millions of Zimbabweans who, despite intimidation, turned out to vote for Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of presidential elections in March, and who despite a ruthless campaign of violence and terror following Tsvangirai’s victory, refused to vote for Mugabe in the June runoff; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers condemn the completely unwarranted brutality against Zimbabwe’s trade union movement and speak forcefully to pressure Zimbabwe to respect internationally recognized workers’ rights; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers call for the immediate release of trade unionists and others arrested and imprisoned while exercising their rights of free speech, association and political belief;  and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers support Zimbabweans who believe that the dignity of work, freedom of association, the right of workers to be heard, and an end to discrimination and forced labor are not just labor rights, but human rights; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers work with Education International, Public Services International, international trade unions, and local Zimbabwean civil society organizations that share the values and objectives of promoting democracy and the rule of law in promoting reconciliation and undoing Mugabe's damaging policies, without engendering a violent backlash.