union, he was dismissed, and the decision was appealed and submitted to the Ministry for final consideration. 219. The Committee recalled that participation by trade unionists in international trade union meetings was a fundamental trade union right and that workers should enjoy adequate protection against all acts of anti-union discrimination such as dismissal, demotion, transfer or other prejudicial measures. 132 It considered further information in 2006 and 2007, at which time appeals to the Labour Court were still pending. 133 220. Case No. 2365 was filed by the ICFTU in July 2004 and concerned further allegations of harassment, intimidation, arrests and detentions, and arbitrary dismissals and transfers. The case was considered serious and urgent in 2005, 2006 and 2007. 221. The complainants alleged that on 17 February 2004 four trade unionists were detained by police in Bulawayo; on 4 March 2004 the President of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists was dismissed after having addressed workers; on 25 March 2004 the car of the Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) was tailed and hit; on 27 March 2004 a group of 50 people besieged and vandalized the home of the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Construction and Allied Workers’ Union, and forced his wife and three children to march at gunpoint to a nearby hospital; and in April 2004 the Vice-Chairman of the ZCTU Chegutu district was transferred from his workplace in Chegutu to Harare on account of his “clandestine involvement in political activities”. 222. The Government replied to each allegation, variously stating that the trade union officials should have followed the normal channels of appeal, that the allegations were unfounded or unconnected with their trade union position, and that it could not interfere in matters between workers and their employers. 223. The Committee requested reinstatement of any trade unionists found to have been dismissed for anti-union reasons and reiterated its concern that an absolute prohibition on trade unions engaging in political activities seemed to be recurrent. The Committee observed that these allegations followed similar events in March 2002, December 2002 and October–November 2003, expressed its deep concern with the extreme seriousness of the general trade union climate in Zimbabwe and called the Governing Body’s special attention to it. 134 224. The ICFTU presented further allegations relating to events from June 2004 to February 2005 that were considered by the Committee in June 2005. 135 These allegations concerned arrests of trade union leaders throughout the country on different occasions; court cases against trade unionists and the imposition of fines; the dismissal and suspension of striking workers and trade unionists involved in demonstrations; the deployment of armed personnel during a telecommunications strike in October 2004; and harassment and intimidation of strikers and union leadership. Finally, there were allegations that the Government had interfered in the 132 336th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, Official Bulletin, Vol. LXXXVIII, 2005, Series B, No. 1, paras 866–890. 133 349th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, Official Bulletin, Vol. LXXXVIX, 2006, Series B, No. 1, paras 229–232; and 344th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, Official Bulletin, Vol. XC, 2007, Series B, No. 1, paras 248–250. 134 336th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, Official Bulletin, Vol. LXXXVIII, 2005, Series B, No. 1, paras 891–914. 135 337th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, Official Bulletin, Vol. LXXXVIII, 2005, Series B, No. 1, paras 4, 1633–1671. 64 Meetings-2009-Zimbabwe C of I-2009-12-0035-3-En.doc/v3