The union has been vocal against cases of precarious work in the industry but is set to go a notch higher to encourage contractors to comply with the Zimbabwe Decent work Country Programme as well as the international ILO Conventions.
The union deputy general secretary Fozert Mugabe said the union will seek to stick to the national policy guidelines in its campaigns. “The campaigns will be bound by the need to set out a framework of cooperation among the parties in the industry. Our aim is to engage parties in the implementation of the campaigns with an overall objective of ensuring social
justice in the construction industry,” she said. Mugabe said the precarious work was a thorn in the flesh in the construction industry as contractual obligations are being flouted. “Our industry is largely composed of contract workers and employers take advantage of that to practice unfair labour practices.

As a union we want to promote Productive Employment and Decent Jobs; Improve the application and implementation of International Labour Standards; Strengthen Social Dialogue capacities and processes for sustainable socio-economic Development and Increase coverage of Social Protection through mainstreaming elements of the Social Protection Floor in line with the national decent work agenda,” she said. She said issues to do with Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women in the industry also required serious attention as more women were beginning to join the previously male dominated industry. “Most of women in the industry work as unskilled labourers whose occupations are low paying with numerous decent work deficits are abound.

Sexual harassment, gender bias and discrimination are the major factor due to which the working environment becomes difficult for them. Most employers are failing to provide female friendly changing rooms  and ablution facilities which could prove to be a major challenge in future,” she said. She said while some commendable attempts have been made to increase women's participation in some key positions in the civil service and other industries, statistically, women are still largely under-represented in the construction sector. The Increased Informalization of the Economy has also not spared the construction and has led some contractors to rely on informal labour paid on a daily basis without adequate social protection. “The informal economy is characterized by serious decent work deficits which include absence of social protection coverage, poor health and safety, long working hours, weak labour inspection and lack of social dialogue
mechanisms. These deficiencies pose serious threats to the workers given the nature of the industry. We are in the process of organising informal construction workers and educating on
their rights and prevailing industrial trends so that
they do not get exploited by contractors,” she said.