organized nationwide stay-aways and demonstrations against the rampant inflation which made negotiated wages and salaries worthless; the cost of public transport and basic commodities, which impacted upon the worth of members’ salaries; the availability of antiretroviral drugs; and taxation. The ZCTU explained that these were socio-economic issues considered by workers to be of the utmost importance in relation to their employment and that human rights issues and socio-economic policy fell within trade union purview. 170 Members of EMCOZ explained that in many instances, employers supported these stay-aways and demonstrations, recognizing that, due to socio-economic factors, the salaries that they paid workers were worth significantly less than they had been at the time they had been negotiated. 171 277. Government officials indicated that such stay-aways were considered to exceed traditional trade union topics for protests. The ZCTU stated to the Commission that such demonstrations were incorrectly deemed to be attempts to change the political leadership in Zimbabwe and that it was accused of fighting for regime change rather than being concerned with policies with a bearing on industrial relations. 172 B. Nationwide events 278. The ZCTU complained about the authorities’ response to a series of nationwide stay-aways and demonstrations it had organized. It provided the Commission with information that security forces had prevented demonstrations from taking place, or had stopped them once they had started, through violence, intimidation, harassment, arrest and detention of trade unionists. 173 279. Trade unionists from around the country and from various economic sectors told the Commission of police intervention either before or during events organized by the ZCTU: 174 „ On 18 November 2003, as trade unionists gathered in centres preparing to start a nationwide protest about the prices of basic commodities, the police arrested and detained a number of ZCTU leaders and members. „ In November 2005, another nationwide demonstration called by the ZCTU was prevented from taking place as the police arrested 37 trade unionists in Mutare and 119 activists in Harare who had gathered to start the march. „ On 13 September 2006, during a protest against poverty and high taxes, a large number of trade unionists were arrested, detained and assaulted in about nine locations throughout the country. 175 170 Meeting with the ZCTU, 12 Aug. 2009, Harare. 171 Meeting with EMCOZ, 13 Aug. 2009, Harare. 172 Meeting with the ZCTU, 12 Aug. 2009, Harare. 173 See Chapter 13 (Arrests, detentions, assaults and torture). 174 These events are discussed in further detail in Chapter 13 (Arrests, detentions, assaults and torture). 175 The Commission was provided with a copy of a newspaper article from the Zimbabwe Sunday Mail dated 10 September 2006, in which the Minister of State for National Security was reported as 78 Meetings-2009-Zimbabwe C of I-2009-12-0035-3-En.doc/v3