25/05/2026
Solidarity Mission Report : Operation Dhiginiti and the Fight for Workplace Democracy
By Obert Masaraure for ARTUZ NEC on Africa Day.
In alignment with the core mandates of our Union, we were deployed to meet with comrades who have been unlawfully and unfairly discharged from the public service. The objective of this deployment was twofold, to understand their current socio-economic survival strategies and to extend practical, material, and institutional solidarity.
This initiative falls under “OPERATION DHIGINITI,” a comprehensive campaign launched by ARTUZ aimed at restoring the dignity of both the teacher and the teaching profession. At its foundation, the operation asserts that we cannot fight for the dignity of the classroom without fiercely defending and supporting our frontline fighters who have been unfairly dismissed for engaging in genuine, protected trade union activities.
The case of Comrade Bridget Dhliwayo stands as a heart-wrenching indictment of the employer’s brutality. Her offense was straightforward and entirely peaceful: she raised a placard demanding a living wage. This act constitutes legitimate, core trade union work explicitly protected by both domestic and international law. For this singular act of expressing economic distress, she was summarily discharged from the service.
The Union has since approached the Labour Court seeking her unconditional reinstatement. Despite the severe victimization she has endured, it was profoundly heartwarming to hear from Cde Bridget that her spirit remains unbroken. She stands ready to continue the fight for a fair wage and a better Zimbabwe. Her case is a stark reminder of the authoritarian environment workers are forced to navigate and reinforces our collective resolve to fight for genuine workplace democracy.
The dismissal of Cde Bridget represents a severe, multi-layered breach of statutory, constitutional, and international labour standards. Zimbabwe formally ratified the ILO Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), on 9 April 2003. Article 3(1) explicitly states that workers’ and employers’ organisations shall have the right to organize their activities and formulate their programmes in full freedom, while Article 11 obliges ratifying states to take all necessary and appropriate measures to ensure that workers can freely exercise the right to organize. Bridget’s dismissal directly violates these international commitments.
The state’s actions also directly contravene Section 65 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment No. 20) Act, 2013. Section 65(1) guarantees every person the right to fair and safe labour practices and standards, as well as the right to a fair and reasonable wage. Section 65(2) guarantees the right to form and join trade unions and to participate in their lawful activities, while Section 65(3) protects the right to participate in collective job action, including the right to strike, withdraw labour, and engage in other forms of concerted action.
Furthermore, the Labour Act [Chapter 28:01], particularly Section 4, protects employees against victimization arising from trade union membership or lawful union activity, while Section 45 further outlaws anti-union discrimination. Although the state frequently relies on disciplinary procedures under the Public Service Act [Chapter 16:04] and related regulations, using such provisions to bypass constitutional protections under Section 65 remains contrary to the supreme law of the land and also leads to their non-existence. Statutory instruments cannot supersede constitutional guarantees.
Operation Dhiginiti is more than a standard labour protest but it is an ideological and material offensive driven by the reality that the Zimbabwean teacher has been structurally pauperized. The operation provides legal defense and public advocacy for members targeted through labour victimization, framing the defense of the individual as the defense of the collective union itself.
Recognizing that economic hardship has become a weapon used to silence and weaken workers, the Union is taking practical revolutionary steps toward strengthening material solidarity and economic autonomy. ARTUZ will soon launch district and provincial cooperative projects across the country aimed at creating income-generating initiatives for teachers and their families. Through collective economic empowerment, the Union seeks to build resilient community structures capable of sustaining members during periods of hardship and repression. Economic self-reliance remains central to the struggle because no worker should be left vulnerable to poverty and starvation for defending their rights and dignity.
As part of Operation Dhiginiti’s direct-action framework, the Union continues to encourage members to report for duty only two days per week. This position reflects the harsh economic realities confronting teachers. The current cost of transport, food, and basic survival has made full attendance economically impossible for many educators already trapped in poverty wages. Teachers cannot continue subsidizing a broken system at the expense of their own survival and the welfare of their families.
The struggle for workplace democracy is inseparable from the broader political environment in Zimbabwe. The introduction of Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) represents a terrifying prospect for the entire working class. If passed, CAB3 seeks to further centralize authority, strip away institutional checks and balances, and erode judicial independence. If the government can currently abuse, dismiss, and victimize public sector workers while constrained by the current constitutional framework, one can only imagine the depth of repression that may emerge once executive authority becomes virtually unchecked. The fight against CAB3 is therefore not merely political, it is fundamentally a struggle for workplace survival, democratic accountability, and the protection of workers’ rights.
The assault on our comrades is an assault on every teacher in Zimbabwe. Through Operation Dhiginiti, we shall continue to match state brutality with organized, material, and legal solidarity. We call upon all members to remain resolute, support the upcoming cooperative projects, and continue defending the dignity of the teaching profession.
Injure One, Injure All! Restore the Dignity of the Teacher!
