Four Zimbabwean labour leaders were arrested yesterday for allegedly organising a strike to press for changes in the management of the national pension fund.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) on Tuesday announced the strike to protest the alleged "rot" in the state-run National Social Security Authority (NSSA).

Four regional leaders in the second city of Bulawayo were arrested by police early yesterday morning at their homes for allegedly organising the strike, which was poorly supported.

By early afternoon, they had not yet been charged, according to ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe.

Chibebe admitted that the strike had failed to take hold, but was adamant the message had been driven home.

The centre of Harare was bustling yesterday, with the usual heavy traffic and the majority of banks, shops, factories and business establishments functioning normally.

"I am disappointed because things did not go the way we wanted, although the message has been sent," Chibebe said.

"It's not a flop as it were, but it did not get to the expected heights. However, in terms of pressure it has been effective," he added.

The ZCTU, which claims a membership of 240 000, called the one-day strike "in order that the government stops the rot at NSSA".

Contributions to the government-run pension fund are compulsory for all workers, but Chibebe said some retirees were receiving as little as 700 Zimbabwe dollars (about 18 US/euro cents) a month in retirement benefits.

"Monies are not properly accounted for, this is where the issue is," said Chibebe.

"The administration costs of NSSA are always more than what is paid out (to beneficiaries)... it's a sorry state of affairs," he said.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions, the largest trade union movement in Zimbabwe's southern neighbour, had thrown its weight behind the strike.

The most recent national strike called by the ZCTU was staged at the end of November following the arrest of several unionists and human rights activists, but that action, too, had little effect.

The last ZCTU-organised strike that was largely followed was in April last year when the labour body called for mass work stoppage after the government raised the price of petroleum-based fuels by nearly 300%. – Sapa-AFP.