Unions (ZCTU) General Secretary Roy Mwaba
Judiciary and Allied Workers Union of Zambia President Peter Mwale has called on the PF government to rescind its decision to maintain the “stupid” wage freeze or risk having a countrywide protests in the judiciary.
And Mr. Mwale has described Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda as the worst Labour Minister the country has ever had.
Speaking when he featured on Muvi TV’s the Assignment program on Sunday Mr. Mwale said it was unfair for poor workers who have already sacrificed enough to continue doing so when Ministers and other senior Government Officials such as Permanent Secretaries are not doing so themselves.
Mr. Mwale said the wage freeze should not be maintained because the cost of living has gone up and the increment public workers got in September 2013 has been over taken by events as commodities and services such as electricity, water and transport have all doubled since the last salary hike.
“Do you know that Ministers, Deputy Ministers and PSs are getting a lot of money. In terms of housing allowances a Minister gets about 9000, a Deputy 7000 and a PS gets about 17000 fuel allowance per Month and on top of that they have two official Vehicles one for the Minister and the other one for the family and that is just talking about fuel and maintenance now it will be very naïve and unreasonable come and call on the poor workers to sacrifice.
Why is this sacrifice always targeted at the poor worker, the lowly paid in the Civil Service? The sacrifice that is being called by government has never been genuine; it has never yield any results, we have been engaging with government and there is nothing that we as Labour leaders have put on the table that government has taken.”
Mr. Mwale further said the workers in the country will not be intimidated by threats of dismissal if they take to the streets because demonstrations are part of negotiations adding that the Labour Minister should be in the best position to know that going to the media and demonstrations are part of negotiations.
“To intimidate workers it has proved elsewhere and even in Zambia that it does not work. I know that the Minister of Labour has always come out strongly to say that protests are always not a better way of engaging government, going to the media is not the way to engage government but you see engaging government has got different points even coming to the media and talk about issues that haven’t agreed on is engaging government.
I think that Mr. Shamenda himself knows very well that engagement is not just sitting on the round table to talk about issues but also protests, peaceful protests and going to the media is also another way of engaging government so that they can listen to our demands because will spoken in the round tables, we have cried, we have said can this stupid wage freeze be lifted we have said it time and again but they have refused,” he said.
Mr. Mwale added that workers will not stand by and watch while they are treated unfairly by government further wondering why government continues to have a bloated cabinet when it claims that it does not have money for the poor workers in the country.
He said the workers in the Judiciary wwill withdrew their services and camp at Mr. Chikwanda’s office till their demands are met as talking has not yielded any results adding that a protest is the only language that Mr. Chikwanda will listen to and that it has become apparent that the PF is not a listening government.
Mr. Mwale also said the fight against corruption in the judiciary will remain a fight in futility as long as workers in the sector remain under paid further wondering how someone who is hungry can not be corrupted.
Meanwhile Mr. Mwale has described the country’s Labour Minister as the Worst Minister the nation has ever had.
He also doubted the negotiating skills of Mr. Shamenda saying ” Mr. Shamenda boasts that he was a good labour leader and that he was good negotiator I think he was not and the records are there at ZCTU to prove that.”
Mr Shamenda’s plate seems full, he needs to do something to avoid overflows. Waiting to hear his response.
Way to go Mwale. Bravo.
Peter Mwale for ZCTU president.
@Nostradamus,
You are spot on !
Next time vote wisely ba stupidd. What is the president’s position in all this? Ohh that’s right, his main preoccupation was to get to state house at all cost. After that it’s Dontchi Kulanda. Sata’s silence is deafening issh..
The reason why MMD stopped borrowing money from the IMF was to avoid the harsh conditions that IMF set out to access these funds. Comes along id!otic PF with it’s uneducated president and dunderhead ministers who have no plan whatsoever to raise revenue without borrowing the way MMD somehow managed to do and were quick to say yes to any condition imposed by IMF and World Bank to access the horrendous loans that we have now. The Wage freeze will not be lifted because stup!d PF does not have the power to raise the wage freeze. Fcuking id!ots.
@Dudelove.
Brilliant analysis my bro.
I am happy that PF shot it self in the foot and are now going to limp out of power with the help IMF because IMF has so given them another condition to stop this rampant unplanned construction projects which are gobbling huge amounts of money of which 40% ends up in PF cronys pockets.
Yamfwa Mukanga is in New york begging the IMF to give PF more money. But surprisingly, the IMF has tightened the rules for PF and Mukanga is trying hard to convince them.
If you remember, not long ago Guy Scott expressed anger at the way IMF has characterised Zambia as a high financial risk country, because of its inability to ,spend the income it raises wisely and account for it.
PF ni ba chimbwi chabe.
Kuya fye, zwa, fyaa, PF, a breed of cocked ideological deceptive ideas dying with its leader.
Zambians have a chance in 2016 to vote in new young leadership with education to manage the national economy prudently, fairly and beneficial to the whole country.
Mwale, educate your work force coleagues who were duped by PF for more money in pockets within 90 days to vote for UNDP in 2016.
Its now that people are waking up from slumber!Countrymen & women-Our Union leaders are really useless & selfish!Our PF cabinet is really looting & uncaring for its citizenry!Our MPs are either airheaded or illiterate for keeping quiet on unlawful and slavish wage freeze.They are a really let down!
Wage freeze is a serious matter but in these dire economic times, one has to ask where the money is going to come from to sanction such increases?
Everything has its own time.