Zimbabwe: labour&apos;s options within the movement for democratic change

Dansereau, Suzanne

doi:10.1080/03056240108704548

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Review of African Political Economy

Volume 28, Issue 89

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Zimbabwe: labour's options within the movement for democratic change

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research-article

Author(s): Suzanne Dansereau ^a

Publication date (Print): September 2001

Journal: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

Abstract

The article sets out to understand the option for labour represented by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), a movement made up of a wide cross section of groups opposing ZANU‐PFs twenty‐one year hold on power, with key leadership coming from the labour movement. The article seeks to understand the nature and potential for change embodied in the MDC given its alliance with groups from below, often labelled civil society or new social movement.

It documents labour's radicalisation, moving from the shop floor into broader political action and alliance‐building and eventually into a direct partisan challenge for political power in the 2000 parliamentary elections. It analyses MDC policies, finding a seemingly contradictory emphasis on participation and social democracy, alongside the proposals for a mixed economy involving international donors and investors, with a moderate state role whose objective is to create employment and alleviate poverty. These policies reflect the loose alliance making up the MDC, ranging from citizen, labour and human rights groups, with some commercial farmers and industrialists. The challenge is to maintain support from the various interests within this common front as it consolidates itself into a party, capable of putting forward a national project. This requires a struggle between competing interests, and it is labour's actions within this struggle and its outcome that will ultimately define labour's options within this new grouping.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20

Journal ID (archive): CREA

Title: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

ISSN (Print): 0305-6244

ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720

Publication date (Print): September 2001

Volume: 28

Issue: 89

Pages: 403-414

Affiliations

^a Saint Mary's University , Canada

Article

Publisher ID: 8704548 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 28, No. 89, September 2001, pp. 403-414

DOI: 10.1080/03056240108704548

SO-VID: cd613122-1677-4575-a324-182742f29521

License:

All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Page count

Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 25, Pages: 12

Bibliography

2000. . Agenda . The Herald :
July/August. 2000 . “‘Wave of Violence Engulfs Zimbabwe’. ”. Vol. Vol. 3. , July/August. , p. 1
Dansereau S. . 2001. . “‘Resistance and Social Change: New Contributions to Understanding the Potential of Labour Resistance’. ”. In Development: the Need for Reflection, Montreal . , McGill University, Centre for Developing Area Studies. .
2000. . ‘Labour's search for a New Emancipatory Project in Zimbabwe’. . Socialist Studies Bulletin . , Vol. 59:
1997. . ‘Rebirth of Resistance: Labour and Structural Adjustment in Zimbabwe’. . Labour, Capital and Society . , Vol. 30((1)) April;
Diamond L and Plattner M F. , eds. 1999. . Democratization in Africa . , Baltimore : : Johns Hopkins University Press. .
Escobar A and Alvarez S. . 1992. . The Making of Social Movements in Latin America: Identity, Strategy and Democracy . , Boulder , Colorado : : Westview Press. .
Esteva G and Frakash M S. . 1998. . Grassroots Post‐Modernism: Remaking the Soil of Culture . , London : : Zed Books. .
Kanyenze Godfrey. . 2000. . “‘The Implications of Globalization on the Zimbabwe Economy’. ”.
Laakso L. . 1995. . ‘Relationship between the State and Civil Society in Zimbabwean Elections 1995’. . Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics . , Vol. 34((3)) November;: 218––34. .
Makumbe John and Compagnon Daniel. . 2000. . Behind the Smokescreen: the Politics of Zimbabwe's 1995 General Elections . , Harare : : University of Zimbabwe Press. .
16 November. 2000 . “‘The 2001 Budget Statement: ZANU‐PFs Lack of Responsibility is Destroying the Nation’. ”. 16 November. ,
30 August. 2000 . “’The State of the Zimbabwe Economy and the Prospects for Recovery. A Report Submitted by the MDC to the IMF’. ”. 30 August. ,
Munck R and O'Hearn D. , eds. 1999. . Critical Development Theory: Contributions to a New Paradigm . , London : : Zed Books. .
Raftopoulos Brian. . 2000. . ‘The Labour Movement and the Emergence of Opposition Politics in Zimbabwe’. . Labour, Capital and Society . , November;
“‘The Labour Movement and the Emergence of Opposition Politics in Zimbabwe’. ”. In Labour, Capital and Society . , (Special Issue on Zimbabwe's Twenty Years of Independence).
Rist G. . 1997. . The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith . , London : : Zed Books. .
Schmitz G J and Hutchful E. . 1992. . Democratization and Popular Participation in Africa . , Ottawa : : North‐South Institute and Partnership Africa Canada. .
Skalnes T. . 1993. . ‘The State, Interest Groups and Structural Adjustment in Zimbabwe’. . Journal of Development Studies . , Vol. 29((3)) April;
Stevens M and Gnanaselram S. . 1995. . ‘The World Bank and Governance’. . IDS Bulletin . , Vol. 26((2))
Tsvangirai M. . ‘The Labour Relations Amendment Bill 1992’. In: . Proceedings of a Conference: ESAP, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, organised by the Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ) and the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung Foundation; . August 17–19– ; .
Van Rooy A. , ed. 1998. . Civil Society and the Aid Industry . , London : : Earthscan Publications. .
2001. . The Worker . , February;
Wignaraja P. , ed. 1993. . New Social Movements in the South: Empowering the People . , London : : Zed Books. .
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). . June. 1994 . The Economy and Collective Bargaining: An Overview . June. , Harare :

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] 2000. . Agenda . The Herald :

[2] July/August. 2000 . “‘Wave of Violence Engulfs Zimbabwe’. ”. Vol. Vol. 3. , July/August. , p. 1

[3] Dansereau S. . 2001. . “‘Resistance and Social Change: New Contributions to Understanding the Potential of Labour Resistance’. ”. In Development: the Need for Reflection, Montreal . , McGill University, Centre for Developing Area Studies. .

[4] 2000. . ‘Labour's search for a New Emancipatory Project in Zimbabwe’. . Socialist Studies Bulletin . , Vol. 59:

[5] 1997. . ‘Rebirth of Resistance: Labour and Structural Adjustment in Zimbabwe’. . Labour, Capital and Society . , Vol. 30((1)) April;

[6] Diamond L and Plattner M F. , eds. 1999. . Democratization in Africa . , Baltimore : : Johns Hopkins University Press. .

[7] Escobar A and Alvarez S. . 1992. . The Making of Social Movements in Latin America: Identity, Strategy and Democracy . , Boulder , Colorado : : Westview Press. .

[8] Esteva G and Frakash M S. . 1998. . Grassroots Post‐Modernism: Remaking the Soil of Culture . , London : : Zed Books. .

[9] Kanyenze Godfrey. . 2000. . “‘The Implications of Globalization on the Zimbabwe Economy’. ”.

[10] Laakso L. . 1995. . ‘Relationship between the State and Civil Society in Zimbabwean Elections 1995’. . Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics . , Vol. 34((3)) November;: 218––34. .

[11] Makumbe John and Compagnon Daniel. . 2000. . Behind the Smokescreen: the Politics of Zimbabwe's 1995 General Elections . , Harare : : University of Zimbabwe Press. .

[12] 16 November. 2000 . “‘The 2001 Budget Statement: ZANU‐PFs Lack of Responsibility is Destroying the Nation’. ”. 16 November. ,

[13] 30 August. 2000 . “’The State of the Zimbabwe Economy and the Prospects for Recovery. A Report Submitted by the MDC to the IMF’. ”. 30 August. ,

[14] Munck R and O'Hearn D. , eds. 1999. . Critical Development Theory: Contributions to a New Paradigm . , London : : Zed Books. .

[15] Raftopoulos Brian. . 2000. . ‘The Labour Movement and the Emergence of Opposition Politics in Zimbabwe’. . Labour, Capital and Society . , November;

[16] “‘The Labour Movement and the Emergence of Opposition Politics in Zimbabwe’. ”. In Labour, Capital and Society . , (Special Issue on Zimbabwe's Twenty Years of Independence).

[17] Rist G. . 1997. . The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith . , London : : Zed Books. .

[18] Schmitz G J and Hutchful E. . 1992. . Democratization and Popular Participation in Africa . , Ottawa : : North‐South Institute and Partnership Africa Canada. .

[19] Skalnes T. . 1993. . ‘The State, Interest Groups and Structural Adjustment in Zimbabwe’. . Journal of Development Studies . , Vol. 29((3)) April;

[20] Stevens M and Gnanaselram S. . 1995. . ‘The World Bank and Governance’. . IDS Bulletin . , Vol. 26((2))

[21] Tsvangirai M. . ‘The Labour Relations Amendment Bill 1992’. In: . Proceedings of a Conference: ESAP, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, organised by the Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ) and the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung Foundation; . August 17–19– ; .

[22] Van Rooy A. , ed. 1998. . Civil Society and the Aid Industry . , London : : Earthscan Publications. .

[23] 2001. . The Worker . , February;

[24] Wignaraja P. , ed. 1993. . New Social Movements in the South: Empowering the People . , London : : Zed Books. .

[25] Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). . June. 1994 . The Economy and Collective Bargaining: An Overview . June. , Harare :