Govt urged to increase housing allowance

Health members of staff in Chipata in Eastern Province have appealed to government to review housing allowance which currently falls short in the renting of decent accommodation.

Speaking on behalf of other health officers, Esnelly Zulu said government government should critically look at the fixed housing allowance if workers were to rent decent houses. This was during a Christmas gift presentation ceremony at Chipata General Hosptal.

Ms Zulu noted that the housing allowance given to public workers does not allow them to rent decent accommodation, hence the need to improve it.

“We sincerely hope that as the next year’s national budget is put in place this area will be reviewed cautiously so that we may be able to access decent accommodation as public service workers,” she added.

And speaking at the same occasion, Inspection Committee Chairperson, Carol Tembo, who is also Luangwa Lodge Manager, disclosed that uncompromised clean environment at a hospital was cardinal to patient treatment process.

Ms Tembo said once patients were admitted to the hospitals that had clean surroundings they quickly recovered from illness.

She has since urged the Chipata General Hospital Board to strive towards introducing routine preventive maintenance works at the health institution to ensure uncompromised clean surroundings.

“In future, we look forward to you to include the maintenance team, and the people responsible for maintaining the surrounding areas of the hospital premises are regularly inspected to maintain high standards of cleanliness, ” she added.

The hospital management always invites stakeholders who carry out ward inspections prior to Christmas day in view of awarding the deserving wards that standout to be best in terms of cleanliness.

And Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) has challenged the Government to improve teachers working conditions, particularly in rural and remote areas.

ZNUT General Secretary, Roy Mwaba, says the government should not be surprised when teachers run away from working in rural areas, because of poor conditions of service

Mr. Mwaba told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that it was rather very embarrassing that Zambian teachers were the least paid in the southern region.

He added that teachers in the rural and remote areas should be paid more money than those in the urban areas as life in these parts was very difficult.

He has also called upon the government to consider implementing the collective agreement.

The ZNUT General Secretary said improving the conditions of service for teachers would motivate them.

He said it was such issues that have made the Movement for Multi- Party Democracy to become very unpopular among the Zambian people.

Mr Mwaba said teachers need to be looked after very well, adding that they also deserve high respect among other workers.

He also advised the government to be very active in the education sector by seeing to it that teachers are well paid.

Mr. Mwaba added that the figures at the Central Statistical Office (CSO) reveal that the food basket was supposed to be K1.5 million for teachers, adding that the government was not even paying half of the amount.

He added that teachers in the rural and remote areas were also living in grass-thatched houses and drinking unclean water, a situation which he said should be stopped.

He has also called on the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) to pay the teachers their money after they finish marking examination papers.

Mr. Mwaba also called on the teachers not to offer services for free adding that a down payment should be paid if possible.

ZANIS/ENDS/AJN/EB