Friday, March 29, 2024

Zamtel workers paid as per agreement

Share

THE National Union of Communication Workers (NUCW) has said the breakdown of payments to the retrenched workers of Zamtel is what was agreed between the union and the Government.

But NUCW branch officials in Ndola have challenged the NUCW executive to avail a copy of the actual agreement that they signed on behalf of the workers in view of the partial privatisation of the telecommunications firm.

NUCW Secretary General Clement Kasonde said yesterday that the breakdown of payments that the retrenched workers were given was what was agreed between stakeholders before the retrenchment was implemented.

Mr Kasonde said the stakeholders entered into an agreement that said the retrenched workers should get three months basic pay multiplied by the number of years worked by an employee.

He said the workers were also to receive two months worth of salaries as repatriation and an extra one-month salary.

He said leave days accumulated should be paid in cash and the whole redundancy package was tax-free as Government was to pay the tax on behalf of the workers.

He said most workers had earlier thought that as part of their package, they would be paid compensation equal to 20 months of their basic salary as it was done in 1996 when excess workers were retrenched from Zamtel after the unbundling of the Posts and Telecommunication Corporation.

In addition to the compensation at the time, workers received one-and-a-half months basic salary for every year worked as retrenchment.

Mr Kasonde said even though his union would have wanted to get more for the workers during negotiations, circumstances were different now compared to 1996 when the retrenchment was internal, management was more willing to give into the union’s demands and the company was solvent..

The branch officials, however, said in a letter addressed to the general secretary and made available to the Times in Ndola yesterday that about a month before Zamtel was officially handed over to LapGreen Networks, they had observed the alleged failure by the executive to avail the actual agreement to the workers.

The branch officials of the Ndola Central Branch said they had received several queries concerning the nature of the document from the members.

Branch chairperson Chilyobwe Mwape and branch vice-secretary Henry Nsama signed the letter.

“On several occasions we have asked you to reveal the entire document to us as branch leaders and of course to the general membership since this document is purported to have been signed on our behalf, but alas you have time and again failed to bring out the entire document except for a few selected clauses you have revealed at your own discretion,” reads part of the letter.
[ Times of Zambia ]

14 COMMENTS

  1. It does not take a genius to see that the these folks were played big time. Sorry but that’s typical of our current government. I am sure there is a lot of champagne popping at plot 1.

  2. If they have been paid at all. Info on the ground is that there is total chaos. A lot of people have not yet been paid, mistakes have been made in calculations.

    As for the agreements, the workers were just dribbled by RP Capital. They signed what they didn’t understand Again, the government priority was the foreigner buying the company not the poor Zambians ending up on streets.

  3. Guys these guys got commisions from the Libians to reduce your packages.

    It is really sad that RB can even tease the poor retrenched Zamtel workers that they are smiling.

    What uncaring president we have who is full of corruption….these thirsty thieves dont care for Zambians but for their own pockets.

    As #1 has said, at state house RB and his minions are celebrating now.

  4. “Zamtel workers were paid as per agreement”, but who signed that useless agreement? definitely not done in the interest of the workers but investors , shame.

    Y is it that foreigners setting up businesses in Zambia are called investors, and not Zambians who do exactly the same with the only difference of being indigenous?

  5. The chaps complaining are those who thought they would get away with the loans they got from Banks.You thought Banks are stupid and that they would lose their money just like that?Get your dues and move on.

  6. “He said leave days accumulated should be paid in cash and the whole redundancy package was tax-free as Government was to pay the tax on behalf of the workers”
    Govt can not pay that huge tax burden,Jst say Govt will forgo the tax,can this useless Govt pay tax honestly on behalf of of all the workers as greedt as they are

  7. stop complaining,you are even lucky you getting some crumbs ask your friends at former UBZ and ZAMBIA AIRWAYS what chiluba and his henchman sata did to them,to begin with most you in those parastatals got thoz jobs out of nepotism and not merit secondly you milked those companies out,remember how you were playing around with bills,you guys became too big like you had big profitable companies yet you were plunderers.we used to envy you now it’s your turn to suffer

  8. Before the union even talk about packages,they should have first ensured that all workers are accomodated.If some of the workers were occupying company houses they should have offered them to buy those houses at a reduced price.If some were not staying in any company house the company should have bought them houses or pay them monies equivalent to the amount of buying a house.Then pay them tax free terminal benefits.End the of story.

  9. I will be the devils advocate. The workers were paid according the normal standard in the country. They received three months per year worked and some other amount for repatriation. This was a good deal especially that the company was insolvent. This can be atested to those of you who work
    # 9. What a plight. I dont see how you expect an insolvemt compayt or any firm to buy a house for you. you are expected to dothis from the money you earn. Where in the world ( maybe aaprt from FTJ) will any organization buy a house on retrenchment and then benefits?. This would be missaplication of resources You are better as a Government taking that money to health and education

  10. iwe positivist or you ‘r’ negativist whatever…you just a type of person who can accept a raw deal.what happened to ZCCM houses,ZR,UBZ,ZAMBIA AIR WAYS didn’t former employees benefit?Muleufwilako luse abanenu more especially if they have families to look after.

  11. People bark about the company being insolvent as if this was as a result lack of initiative and performance from the employees, ignoring the fact that the same government that would rather overly pay it’s ministers and henchmen also refused to plan better nor pay the company what was owed. That the very same fools turn around and offer the shady sale as an only option should be illegal based on conflict of interest. Further, that it is done behind closed doors on fumes of propaganda and inconsistent lies is reason enough for several people to be locked away one day. That we are even debating this shows just how ignorant several people with opportunity choose to be, for subtract the emotions and politics and clearly our president and Mutati acted to serve their own interests.

  12. We should have known by now, iti s not about the package paid to workers. It is about jobs lost, this is the same sorry about the miners in this country ask them about the time of the best rated Man’s time, King Chilu, these miners todate are in financial problems. May be it is true life sucks in Zambia.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading