The Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers Union (ZIBAWU) has launched a nationwide campaign to combat workplace bullying and harassment across Zimbabwe’s financial sector. The campaign seeks to raise awareness, promote safer workplaces, and ensure that all employees are treated with dignity and respect.

This initiative forms part of ZIBAWU’s ongoing commitment to defending workers’ rights, advancing equality, and building a fair and just working environment in the country’s banking and allied industries.

Creating Safe and Respectful Workplaces

Workplace bullying and harassment remain serious challenges in many organisations, often causing emotional distress, reduced productivity, and even forced resignations. Through this campaign, ZIBAWU is taking proactive steps to highlight the issue, educate workers about their rights, and hold employers accountable for maintaining professional and respectful work environments.

The campaign defines bullying and harassment broadly — including verbal abuse, intimidation, exclusion, humiliation, and misuse of authority — and emphasises that no worker should be subjected to such behaviour under any circumstances.

ZIBAWU aims to make every workplace a zone of respect, fairness, and psychological safety, ensuring that all employees, regardless of position or gender, feel secure and valued.

Campaign Objectives

The Workplace Bullying and Harassment Campaign focuses on several key objectives designed to bring lasting change within financial institutions and related sectors:

• Promote awareness of what constitutes workplace bullying, harassment, and intimidation.
• Educate employees on how to recognise, document, and report such behaviour safely.
• Encourage employers to adopt and enforce zero-tolerance policies on harassment and bullying.
• Support victims through counselling, legal advice, and union representation.
• Foster a culture of equality, justice, and human rights in every financial institution.

Through these objectives, the campaign reinforces ZIBAWU’s message that bullying and harassment are not merely disciplinary matters — they are violations of basic human rights and must be addressed with urgency and consistency.

A Call for Collective Responsibility

ZIBAWU emphasises that addressing workplace bullying and harassment requires a collective effort involving workers, employers, and the union. Everyone in the workplace — from top executives to junior staff — has a role to play in maintaining professional conduct and mutual respect.

The campaign encourages all employees to speak up against abuse and to support colleagues who may be victims of mistreatment. It also calls on management to implement effective internal procedures for reporting and resolving such cases transparently, without fear of victimisation.

Training, Education, and Policy Engagement

As part of the campaign, ZIBAWU will conduct training workshops, seminars, and awareness sessions across the financial sector. These sessions will educate employees about the legal frameworks protecting them — including the Labour Act [Chapter 28:01], Collective Bargaining Agreements, and internal company policies.

The union will also engage with human resources departments and industry regulators to strengthen workplace policies, ensuring they align with national labour standards and international conventions on workplace dignity and equality.

Through education and engagement, ZIBAWU aims to create a sustainable culture of respect and accountability in every financial institution.

Empowering Victims and Witnesses

One of the most critical aspects of the campaign is empowering employees who have experienced bullying or harassment to come forward confidently. Many cases go unreported due to fear of retaliation or disbelief.

ZIBAWU’s campaign assures workers that they are not alone and that support structures are in place to protect them. Union representatives will continue to provide confidential advice, legal assistance, and follow-up support to affected members.

The campaign also encourages witnesses to report incidents of abuse they observe, recognising that silence allows bullying to thrive.

Promoting Equality and Human Rights

At the heart of this campaign lies ZIBAWU’s broader mission to uphold equality, justice, and human rights within the workplace. The union believes that economic rights and human dignity are inseparable, and that protecting one strengthens the other.

By challenging bullying, harassment, and discrimination in all their forms, ZIBAWU is reaffirming its vision of a financial sector built on mutual respect, professionalism, and fairness.

The campaign is aligned with the union’s ongoing gender and youth empowerment initiatives, recognising that women and young workers are often disproportionately affected by workplace mistreatment.

Ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation

ZIBAWU has established a monitoring and feedback framework to track progress and measure the effectiveness of the campaign. Regular reports, member surveys, and case statistics will be used to assess the level of awareness and improvement across workplaces.

The union will continue collaborating with its partners, including the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), UNI Africa, and UNI Global Union, to exchange best practices and strengthen collective efforts against workplace abuse.

Building a Culture of Respect and Accountability

Through this campaign, ZIBAWU envisions a workplace culture where respect is not demanded but earned, and where all forms of abuse are swiftly addressed. The goal is to build financial institutions that not only value performance but also uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct and human dignity.

The union encourages both employers and employees to recognise that a safe and respectful workplace is essential for productivity, trust, and long-term sustainability.

Contact and Support

Workers seeking guidance or wishing to report workplace bullying or harassment can contact ZIBAWU for confidential assistance. The union provides counselling, legal representation, and formal intervention to ensure that every case is handled with fairness and discretion.

For more information, visit www.zibawu.org or reach out through the Contact Us page.