Zimbabwe's Public Service Association, which represents the country's non-teacher public employees, has informed the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions that it wants to become an affiliate of the country's main labor confederation.
Labor sources said the PSA communicated its intentions to the Zimbabwe Teachers Association and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, fellow members on the APEX Council which negotiates with the government on behalf of civil servants.
VOA could not reach senior PSA or ZCTU officials to directly confirm the move.
Labor expert and consultant Davies Ndumiso Sibanda told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that although the PSA enjoys freedom of association in theory, the government could potentially block the move as some members of the army and the police could not belong to a ZCTU affiliate for security reasons.