ZAMBIA Revenue Authority (ZRA) workers have staged a countrywide work stoppage over improved conditions of service, but management described the action as illegal as negotiations have not yet reached a deadlock.
The work stoppage is also threatening revenue collection estimated in billions of Kwacha if it continues today.
The workers were angered by management’s decision to offer them 12 per cent for both salary and housing allowances instead of the demanded 20 per cent for both categories.
A check at its headquarters yesterday found a skeleton staff, comprising senior managers assuming various roles of unionised workers to attend to clients while many offices had been abandoned as most workers had left the premises.
The 14th day of each month is critical as tax payers flock to ZRA to pay taxes but this was not the case following the work stoppage.
Management and union officials were by press time engaged in a closed door meeting in an effort to resolve the impasse before it further aggravated revenue collection.
Commissioner General, Berlin Msiska issued a memorandum stating; “Finally kindly be informed that, for management staff, their monthly basis salary and housing allowance increment shall be implemented this month of May, 2013.
“For unionised staff, their monthly basic salary and housing allowance increment shall only be implemented in the month the agreement will have been reached and the Collective Agreement will be signed.”
Another letter addressed to ZRA workers union general secretary, Shadreck Kalunga and issued by ZRA director of human resources, David Ndumba, said union leaders asked for an adjournment to consult members on the final offer by management and was expected to give them feedback.
“However, to management’s surprise, it has been noticed that the ZRA workers union executive and its membership has withdrawn its labour. Kindly indicate, to management, why this development has taken place. We urgently await your response,” Mr Ndumba said.
And during a press briefing, Mr Ndumba told journalists that management was working hard to resolve the impasse.
Despite the skeleton-staff found operating, Mr Ndumba said operations were proceeding smoothly and appealed to all tax payers to continue making payments either at ZRA points or through bank services.
“There are no disruptions and all our border points are operating effectively and smoothly,” he said.
In Kitwe, workers at the ZRA offices on President Avenue spent time mingling outside with branch union leader, Kalenga Musonda saying the action would continue if management did not offer the workers the 20 per cent demanded.
A similar situation took place in Chipata, where workers were also found loitering around their work premises, with some who preferred anonymity saying operations at Mwami Border point would be paralysed.
Every government worker should join in. Taxi and bus drivers should park their vehicles. These PF criminals should be booted out before they completely destroy Zambia.
GO MOVE…..LIKE IN THE YEARS 2003 2004 WHEN ALL CIVIL SERVANTS STAGED A STRIKE.20% IS STILL LITTLE WE NEED 100 % INCREMENTS. ZCTU WHY SHOULD WE WAIT FOR SEPTEMBER FOR INCREMENTS?
Work stoppage/strike is the only language the PF govt understands, anything else is like trying to reason with a dead body
#Mama Sutra, do you live on blood?
We are told inflation is less than 7%. To demand a 20% increase is unreasonable – even 12% is generous!
I support the move. Fuel and other goods and services have been hiked so it make sense to increase salaries by actually above 20% so that it cushions the effect of hike of prices of good and services like mealie meal. We have gone back to Kaundas days of rulling where things became unmanageable to purchase.
You see, In South Africa the famous riots between mining workers spilled over to taxis and all minings to demand for higher pecks. It does not make sense for senior managers to get away with over 25 Million net when a worked down stream gets less than 5 Million? Look at the Villa government was renting for Prof Clive Chirwa approx. 75 Million per months honestly.???? This country has money I urge you to press on till your demands are met. Minister are busy looting when you, you die
Greediness exhibited by zambian civil servants is a major contributor to the imbalance in standards of living in the country. Measures taken by GRZ are meant to minimise the inbalance and not make the gap even bigger………..Money is not every thing, there is need to change mentality towards work and look at the bigger picture and learn to sacrifice for others by not contributing to inflation with unnecessary demands even when you know you are far much better than an ordinary citizen.
General #4, interesting comments (by the way it is perk is what you get, peck is what a chicken or bird might do to you). What is at issue mostly in Zambia is that the design of an employee’s food basket has been lost with impunity and abuse. Small packaged luxuy is unheard of. The RSA scenario is actually one that has justifications embedded into it (it is one of those countries with a scary Gini coefficient, along with Namibia) and can hardly be compared to Zambia. Zambia’s scenario is one of mismanaged structures, while RSA’s has a lot to do with “lost generations and inherited circumstance”.
ZRA staff do a very important job. Ba peleni 20% even if it it means iyama by elections yalashota.
Iwe balalyamo sana baffikalah
At Nakonde alone Revenue collection is K163Billion or KR163m per month.What about other borders like chirundu,kasumbalesa,Kazungula,L/Stone,Mwami and yet govt leaders are justifying the holding of by elections…and the speaker has written to Ecz over the vacancies that need to be filled.Were is the money going to come from to hold five unnecessary By Elections within a short period of time?and this means you expect the president to fly around with his chopper just to introduce his candidate standing on PF ticket.anyway kulaloleshakofye nomba.
@7.1 its not about employees being corrupt, how about those who are not??? Viva Tax collectors.
What sort of reporting is this? Workers going on a countrywide work stoppage over IMPROVED conditions of service??? Surely the solution should be easy, simply REVERSE the IMPROVEMENTS!!!