Story by Nyasha Makota
THE Government has signed a landmark pledge with international partners, employers and workers’ unions to strengthen labour rights and introduce formal decent work standards across Zimbabwe’s expanding construction sector.
The initiative, launched this week, aims to ensure that the rapid infrastructure rollout under the Second Republic is underpinned by safe, fair and dignified working conditions for thousands of workers across the country.
The construction industry has become a central driver of national development, powering projects from dam construction to road rehabilitation, school building and health facility upgrades and stakeholders say protecting the workforce behind this growth is essential to sustaining progress.
“For us as women in construction, this development has improved our work environment. In most cases, falling pregnant would mean the end of the road, but now we can take maternity leave and come back to work. The decent work talk has already started making a difference on our sites,” a construction worker said.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) country representative for Zimbabwe and Zambia, Philile Masuku said the pledge demonstrates the value of collaboration.
“We are happy to be a part of this campaign. As ILO, we believe that the decent work approach works when all stakeholders work together.”
Government says the commitment is not only about employee welfare, but also about strengthening the sector’s long-term efficiency.
“This pledge is perfectly aligned with our national development trajectory. Infrastructure is a key pillar of any national development. We want to ensure everyone in the construction industry is protected as a result of this launch. We are almost done with the process to make sure everyone in the sector is formalised,” Chief Director in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Clifford Matorera said.
The pledge will help reshape working conditions on construction sites nationwide by introducing structured protections and formalisation measures. The initiative is also expected to support Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, which places infrastructure development at the heart of economic transformation.
