Some 7 500 workers lost their jobs when their companies failed to re-open after their December shutdown and 300 workers are being retrenched every week, Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai said at Workers’ Day today. “Despite this sad situation for workers and the ordinary people, top executives in both private and public companies were recently revealed to be earning obscene perks and salaries,” he said. “Corruption by the high and mighty and the well-heeled and well-connected in the public and private sectors is the cancer at the heart of our economy but there is no effort by anyone in government to stamp it out. I have said before that we have become so good at corruption and theft as a country that we have gone beyond the mere robbery and theft of public assets and proceeds from the country’s natural resources. We have perfected the art such that the people’s mandate and the people’s votes are no longer safe in this country. Even the people’s expression through an election is now susceptible to pilferage, as we all saw on July 31 last year. This is the grim environment in which we mark this year’s May Day.” Tsvangirai told the workers that the MDC would never abandon them and that he would not remain at the helm of the MDC forever. The party is holding its congress in October but Tsvangirai did not say whether he would be stepping down or not.
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