Thursday, March 28, 2024

Wage freeze is illegal and an indication of dictatorship-ZCTU

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ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba
ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba

The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has maintained that the wage freeze as prescribed in the 2014 national budget is illegal and an indication of dictatorship on the part of the PF government.

ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba says this is because government did not consult the Unions in the public sector before going ahead with the wage freeze especially that there are Laws that govern collective bargaining for such decisions.

Mr. Hikaumba has maintained that the Union will not allow any pronouncements that are going to undermine the process of collective bargaining as government has done to free wages in the civil service.

And Mr. Hikaumba has wondered what will be the use of the bargains which the Unions and government have agreed to commence in a meeting held on Monday this week if government insists that the 2 years wage and employment freeze still stands.

Mr. Hikaumba says government should to desist from making pronouncements that will insight workers to take an industrial action.

Meanwhile Mr. Hikaumba has observed no employer whether government or private sector have the right to dictate the terms and conditions of service as they should be arrived at through the process of collective bargaining.

Mr. Hikaumba has charged that if government insists with wage freeze the Union will take appropriate action to ensure that the process of collective bargaining is not undermined.

Mr. Hikaumba has since called on the Union Members to get ready to take such action in defense of their rights.

22 COMMENTS

    • Ba LT please cizungu. I know it is not our language but please please vinangu awe. Mwaya sana

      It is “incite” and not “insight” please.

  1. Iwe Hikaumba just up your negotiations skills as a union because thats the only way you can prove your relevance and not this dictatorship crap.Since when did you start passing statement born out of emotions instead of rationality ? Thats just actually a proposal and not not yet law.Just campaign hard so that it doesn`t go through in parliament.

    • Well said.This guy can only say this if the talks with government collapses.It is just too premature for him to be making a statement like this.This man has outlived his usefulness.

    • firstly it was Sunday chanda PF Vuvuzela anouncing to the world that the PF govt has lost track,, its huge disappoint, a ticking time boom for 2016,,, sunday chanda is now seeing PF as the devil itself!!!
      And now its ZCTU NOT Hikaumba… the whole of ZCTU is seeing dictatorship in PF!!! this is historical,,, this is the first time ever for ZCTU to see dictatorship just two years of PF in govt,,,

      and finaly am waiting and praying for EDUCATED soulosi to be delivered from bufi and pseudo visions of paradise in long 90 days

    • Just call for a nationwide strike. You are dealing with congenital liars, profiteers and looters! It is time to bring these leeches down!

  2. Hear hear….Sata forgets that the Union movement was the architect of the downfall of the mighty KK! Ukwa be afraid……very afraid of the people when there is no food on the table. A hungry man is an angry man!

  3. Pay rises should be in line with inflation!!!!! Why give nurses, teachers etc a measly 1% pay raise when promising more? Then you give yourself 27% it’s a no brainer!!! and for that reason you are out at the next elections . You just don’t know how to keep things balanced. It’s no good asking Kaunda, that man has done Zambia proud STOP using him.

  4. Be firm zctu you are dealing with professional liars who hv convinced the entire zambia that civil servants got more than 100% when infact not among other lies. These leaders from Gwandwanaland awe sure.

  5. Hikaumba harboured intensions to lead mmd following the demise of Levy n he thinks we have forgotten. This is not the first time it’s gonna happen in Zambia n it happens everywhere in the world. Grow up hikaumba or just openly declare ur political intensions instead of making noise like an empty tin.

  6. Ignorant union leader where in the world is a wage freez equated to dictatorship?Its happening in most parts of the world.The comments above just shows how dangerous little knowledge can be.What a useless leader

  7. Hikaumba you are a very weak leader. You exactly know that the increase of non taxable income to K3000 translates into an automatic K800 increase in salary for each public worker. So negotiate for other conditions not wage increase.

  8. Hikaumba uletasha! Government has not said the wage freeze is forever, but only for a year. Civil servants were this year given very hefty salary increases, unprecedented in the history of Zambia. Any talk by you of dictatorship is completely and totally unwarranted, resembling utterances from Hichilema

  9. The ZCTU leader has misdirected himself by using the word ‘dictatorship’. He should have just put his concerns and the dangers regarding to wage and employment freeze. He is just echoing UPND’s words about dictatorship, which puts him in a very dangerous position as a union leader, who lead people from different political parties.

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