Labour Market Flexibility And Its Effect On Worker’s Rights And Representation: A Case Study Of Food Industries And The Food Federation And Allied Workers Union Of Zimbabwe.

ABSTRACT

This study explored the effects of labour market flexibility to workers’ rights and representation

the case study being Harare food and allied industries and the Federation of Food and allied

Workers Union.The research was predominantly influenced by the ever-increasing instability of

Labour relations and the deterioration of workers representation and rights in Zimbabwean food

industries. Capitalist, Keynes and the Classical theories served as the theoretical and conceptual

framework to the study. An amalgamated exploratory design was used to assess, to identify,

unravel reasons and effects of labour market flexibility to workers’ rights and representation in

food industries, which included qualitative and quantitative approach. Fifty questionnaires were

distributed among the NEC graded employees in the food and allied industries using stratified

random sampling .In-depth interviews with the Federation of Food and Allied Workers Union

of Zimbabwe staff using purposive sampling was used to obtain qualitative data. Data analysis

and presentation of questionnaires was done using graphs and tables .Qualitative data from parts

of the questionnaires and interviews was also hinged on thematic and content analysis. The

research established that violation of workers’ rights and representation resulted from labour

market flexibility.Measures like, changes in working hours, collective bargaining, trends in

contracts of employment, trade union participation and membership were used to gauge the

extent to which flexible labour markets affected workers rights. Flexibility to labour market has

resulted in the conversion of permanent employees to become casual and fixed term contracts

leaving them vulnerable to job losses and victimization at work. This also led to employers to

take advantage and ignore the labour laws in altering and making changes in every line of

employment relations thus crippling workers’ rights leaving thm insecure of their job lives. This

has compromised the significance of trade unions since it ignored labour regulations, which is

the backbone and a Broadway to the functions and duties of a trade Union the Federation of Food

and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe lost almost half of its membership to labour market

flexibility. The study concluded by recommending that there is need to revisit the labour

legislations and statutes to consider and pay attention to the new prevailing labour situations .The

study considered that a careful attention should be given on the powers and duties of an employer

since they tend to abuse their privileges .