Foreign Policy In Focus THIS IS “no longer business as usual,” declares Peter Mutasa, President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). “Unions are going to be united.” According to Mutasa, the situation in the country is dire, with basic salaries at or near the poverty line and workers unable to meet basic expenses. The Covid-19 shutdowns and related economic dislocations have reduced incomes for more than half of all urban workers. According to labour representatives, the government’s response has been to collude with business to stifle workers’ rights. Responding to the crisis, representatives of all Zimbabwe’s major worker organizations met last month to discuss falling working conditions and wages, vowing to use their collective voice to work towards decent work and decent lives. The organizations included the ZCTU and the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions, which is perceived as pro-government, and the Apex Council, the body that represents all government workers.