Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda has said government holds no grudge against federations, unions and individuals that opposed and took government to court over the revised minimum wage four months ago.
To confirm this, Mr. Shamenda shook hands and shared notes with the president of the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) Harrington Chibanda whose union had drugged him to court over the minimum wage.
He said despite holding different views and opinions with the Zambia Federation of Employers president over the wage revision, government does not hold any ill feelings against him.
He said government will continue working with the federation to ensure that conditions of service for workers are improved.
The minister and Mr. Chibanda met at Cosmic Lodge in Lusaka yesterday during the professional negotiators’ forum which was organized by the Zambia Union of Financial Institution and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW).
The forum attracted participants from all financial institution unions across the country.
It is the first time the two leaders were meeting after dragging each other to court where government lost the case for not consulting employers before effecting the minimum wage.
And commenting on the judgment, Mr. Shamenda said the verdict sets a bad precedent for the future as other unions will always refer to it if they want to disagree.
He said the judgment would also disadvantage the unions if a bad government is put in power.
Mr. Shamenda assured the trade unions that government will not interfere in the running of unions but ensure that it creates an enabling environment for them to operate in.
Earlier, Mr. Chibanda said most negotiations for improved conditions of service and wages in the country have been characterized with name calling, table pounding and mistrust of parties involved in collective bargaining.
He said this in most cases, has resulted into prolonged negotiations that have impaired relationships between the employers and workers.
He called on fellow trade unions to promote an atmosphere for employers and workers to exchange information, notify each other about needs and concerns and consult on possibilities and impossibilities before the actual negotiations.
Meanwhile, ZUFIAW president Cephas Mukuka commended government for creating a conducive environment for trade unions and federations to work freely.
Mr. Mukuka noted that trade unions and federations are now quiet because they do not have antagonizing issue to talk about as government has set its policy on labour very straight.
The professional negotiators forum, which has opened in Lusaka today, is expected to close on Wednesday this week.
ZANIS
shut up for a minute and do some work, damn it!
The unions in Zambia cockeyed ideas about minimum wage. I thought they should be the first in the fight to protect worker’s interests. Every caring govt should stipulate a minimum wage. Here the govt is on right track.Â
The minister should get rid of the scruffy appearance, it’s irritating.Â
Ukubuta ku Zambia ninshi?
Just thinking, is Zambia Federation of Employers a Union?
please sell your business or close and keep your money.the government will create employment for them .he seem not to appreciate an employer he thinks we are enemies.they think they are going to live for 1000 years
Perhaps Mr. Shamenda would now like Parliament to approve the construction of a statue (or maybe an entire monument?) to recognize his magnanimous gesture of tolerating citizens who exercise their constitutional rights?
Sir, members of society are allowed to hold grudges against Government (it happens everywhere), but not the other way around! Truly, it is a sad comment on your administration that you even felt it necessary to say as much.Â
These selfish guys are just devils. Themselves get millions of Kwachas but denying their workers a 100 dollars. What evil employers they are…shaaa.
God damn it, Shamenda, you must shave your facial hair and nicely trim your ‘fungi’ looking like hair. It is absolutely disgusting for a minister to appear like a gardener. Assume that I am a businessman attempting to inquire about a Minister Shamenda and suddenly two figures appear right before me, a real clearner looking smart with a clean shave, and of course, as usual, a Mr. Shamenda looking like a wetty gardener who has been pulled from his watering routines. Who between the two figures will I attribute the identity of a minister to? Now you get my essence of this argument and it is good to maintain aesthetic labour all the time so as to promote the corporate name of an organisation/to reflect the good name of the government (Zambian government).
Who are these Unions protecting? This shows how corrupt the Unions are.