The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has appealed to President Rupiah Banda to quickly intervene in the current impasse between public service workers and government before the situation gets out of hand.
And ZCTU Secretary General, Roy Mwaba, has appealed to
striking public workers to immediately resume work following the signing of the 2009 collective agreement between government and the various public workers’ unions.
Mr Mwaba said the pronounced silence by the Republican President over the protracted strike by public service workers and failure by government to dialogue with labour leaders does not inspire any confidence among the striking workers.
He said the strike was a serious national matter involving human lives over which continued silence by the highest office in the land should be questioned by all well-meaning Zambians.
“We are clearly disappointed that government seems to be spending more time on fighting the opposition and squabbling over internal political matters regarding the MMD presidency at the expense of addressing serious national issues such as the strike action where lives of innocent Zambians are being lost,” he said.
Mr Mwaba said it was sad that government appears not to have direction in dealing with serious national issues such as the high levels of poverty, the high cost of social services and rampant corruption and lack of accountability in government.
He said the current strike action by public service workers should be blamed on government’s failure to effectively address labour matters in the same manner it addresses other issues which were even of less importance.
He added that the loss of lives that has been recorded in the country following the strike by health workers could have been avoided if government had listened to calls from the congress to expedite negotiions with public service workers over improved conditions of service.
And Mr Mwaba has advised the striking teachers and nurses to call for a cease fire as they have made their stance on the recently awarded 15 per cent salary increment known to the government and other stakeholders.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the ZCTU Secretariat in Kitwe today, Mr Mwaba said time had come for the public workers to cease fire and re-strategise instead of continuing with the fight which might land them into problems.
He said the signing of the collective agreement between government and the unions meant that the 15 per cent salary increment awarded to all public workers was now law and binding, adding that all those who will continue with the strike risk losing their jobs.
He observed that the striking workers must now retreat and strategise for the future by merging all the public service unions into one which will have a powerful bargaining power unlike the current situation where there were a lot of squabbles and infighting among the various labour unions.
Mr Mwaba said government structures and systems made it possible for the unions to bargain fairly and in an objective manner, hence the need to re-strategise and come up with a more effective bargaining tool.
He also commended the striking workers in the public service for conducting themselves in a mature and peaceful manner during the period they have been on strike.
Government has awarded a 15 per cent salary increment to all public workers which they have since rejected.
ZANIS
Ruphia napena mwebantu.
Nizo ona bamudala basokonezeka!!
I agree with ZCTU. We need a president who can act quickly on social/economic matters before instability creeps in.
I’ve been writing that, this old man does not understand leadership. I wonder how he can have the nerves to even run for the presidency in 2011, that is, if we don’t mange to force him to resign. I also wonder how a normal human being can even think of voting for him.
THats why i keep saying that we dont have a president. How do one explain this nosense frm RB for sure? To him and his group everything is normal. The strike by civil servants is not a crisis, if this cant be classifed as crisis, then where is their priorities mwebantu?
We are going back to the Chiluba era guys we should be aware of that.
The man has no idea what his duties are as a leader,so obviously it didn’t occur to him that he should show any concern.
If only he could act as swiftly as he acted on re-appointing Dora when it comes to National matters.
# 8 u summed it up for me…the man could not even sleep thinking about where he was gonna fit Dora back in…that son of a b ! t c h
He has to sort out his old knee first. His knee and urgently re-appointing Dora are the most pressing matters he has at the moment. He could not even allow Dora to sleep other nite without her ministerial position. He had to rush out of the clinic with bandages still fresh, just to go and appoint Dora. What manner of man is this? There is something deep between these two.
Good job on “Mr Mwaba said the pronounced silence by the Republican President over the protracted strike by public service workers and failure by government to dialogue with labour leaders does not inspire any confidence among the striking workers. He said the strike was a serious national matter involving human lives over which continued silence by the highest office in the land should be questioned by all well-meaning Zambians.” For the President has been quiet on the stikes that have taken weeks now, but very quick in appointing Ms Dora Siliya to a Minister position just a few hours after being cleared of cases.
LT, many thanks for this forum as it has helped alot.
Have a blessed day; I now resort to doing National duties.
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Prevention is better than cure.
I initially thought Levy was the worst presido that we ever had, but I was wrong RB is possibly the worst presido on the continent..Even the Madacarscar under five Dj can not be compared to Bwezani.
He has asked the army to run UTH he might just as well ask them to run state House
The biggest mistake was to bring Rupiah was retirement and appointing him vice president. There are numerous younger, reliable and more capable Zambians from whom a vice president should have been chosen. What was the special reason for inviting this spent force from retirement?
“Mwaba said the strike was a serious national matter involving human lives over which continued silence by the highest office in the land should be questioned by all well-meaning Zambians.”
Roy that Induna Banda don’t know anything about “human lives”, after all he was voted by ministers such as Mulongoti and VJ, who were busy duplicating ballots for him.
REVOLUTION 2011
The real problem is that every single criticism levelled at the man is seen as the work of the opposition. That is a sure sign of a failed regime. When they begin to see the opposition behind every tree and every corner. Very soon they will begin to run from their own shadowes! I bet you by tomorrow, shikapwasha will come up with some rubbish blaming the opposition for Mwaba’s remarks!
Fellow Zambians, I think we’re not helping matters by criticising those who are headed for a pit anyway. Let’s instead give them loads of praise so they think they are doing fine, then when it comes to elections, quietly vote them out. If we want to ambush an enemy, we must do it with wisdom. Remember what happened to first president – surrounded by yes men, he didn’t know what hit him when it came to elections. Let’s lull these guys into false security and then hit them with the vote. Start the “Silent but won’t vote for you” campaign
Now Times of Zambia is saying Mwanawasa’s government was corrupt. Banda must learn from that. These GRZ propaganda media can easily change when he is out of plot 1.
Thanks to #15. The only way is REVOLUTION 2011. Let us chat the way forway for a new revolution which will ensure that the next govenment does its job well because it will fear being hit by its citizen. VIVA REVOLUTION 2011
Am confused. Why is ZCTU blaming RB when they are the ones who have let down their members? Hypocrites, if you ask me.
ZCTU
…STOP BLAIMG RB. BUT YOU HAVE ALREADY AGREED AND SIGNED AND NOW YOU WANT TO BLAME RB……SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU CHAPS
WHY DID YOU AGREE TO SOMETHING AND YOU WANT TO BLAME RB…..YOUR MEMBERS ARE BLAMING YOU!!!! THE BUCK STOPS WITH U….RB IS ON THE OTHER SIDE. GOVT OFFERED, NEGOTIATED AND YOU AGREED…MWE BANTU. STOP THIS NONSENSE
Sir Roy what double standard and what do you expect RB to comment on Nation Wide Strike. You and others were invited to Kafue National Park and only God knows what you discussed. It did not take long for civil servants to resort to strike action. RB has a minister of labour and a commissioner to sort out things in that area. At the moment its you labour leaders to shoulder the blame coz your members are saying they never agreed with yourselves to settle for 15% and futher you have failed to resolve other conditions of service. The labour movement should desolve itself and calls for election. The labour movement needs fresh blood. Hikaumba, Roy, Darison Chaala etc are a tired and corrupt lot who should be showed the door out. The problem is not GRZ but greedness amoung union leaders chapwa
RB is some how behaving like Thabo Mbeki. Well in case you never noticed his eviction, people are just not that patient baba. Better wake up and start listening and dealing with peoples issues before its too late for you and your cronies.
Labour day is a very important event, but RB chose to go out of the country on that very important day. To me the man is just here to enjoy his last days on earth.,
#12 thats a good one. wanisekesa. under 5 DJ. I pity those that voted for this man. i guess they are not seeing any wrongs in him. would HH, Sata and them all kept zzzzzzz on this matter? I doubt.
buti chachine. Nangu alande ifyabupuba but at least alandeko! abantu bafwa and its very bad mukomboni. bena namakufi baletwala ku Cape Town nomba fweba meningitis kushika daily. Mr Advisor please ask the president to say something twapapata!!
we don’t have a president since the death of Levi…we miss you LPM…RB is just getting cash for nothing!!
VIVA IRANIAN SPIRIT……..REVOLUTION 2011
RB has no answer to anything in this Nation,He never thot of being president as such no solution of any sort. The balme is on MMD ,who are enjoying his poor leadership and chearing RB,s poor perfomance and want him to continue the damages in 2011.MMD will pay the price some day to come and we shall not spare them for all the damages they are creating .
While President RB Banda has been mute on this strike case and this is sad, it is also worthwhile to note that ZCTU president Hikaumba has been mute and a let down to his members.
Enjoy the circus fellow Citizens.
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Prevention is better than cure.
Bushe abena RB ebalelila pali Dora? “Kunse ndina my wife mumutima ndepangapo ka DORA”. Why the rush to appoint Dora? Please share the info. It seems Zambia has no president at the moment.
You think he his bothered? NO! SEE where he and his clonies go when they fall ill.