THE Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has urged political parties to refine their party constitutions to avoid infightings among members.
ZCTU General Secretary Roy Mwaba said there was need for political parties to come up with clear and precise democratic constitutions to avoid internal wrangles.
Mr Mwaba noted that most party constitutions had unclear and conflicting clauses which made it difficult for members to make clear-cut decisions.
He was addressing a media briefing in Livingstone at Zambezi Sun Hotel on the sidelines of the ongoing Lo-Norway and ZCTU conference for trade unions in Africa.
“If you look at the Patriotic Front (PF) constitution, the party president can fire the Secretary General and all provincial chairmen without consulting anyone which is not good.
“The same PF constitution provides for a general conference or through the central committee when it comes to picking a candidate for the party and this is also a source of conflict,” he said.
Mr Mwaba said there was need to have certain controls in the constitution so that members move in one direction.
He said the PF and Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) had gaps in their constitutions which made different factions to use the same constitution to suspend each other.
“That is why Acting President Gut Scott can fire the Secretary General or members of the central committee today and reinstates them the following day while the affected persons also does likewise.
“Political parties should come up with constitutions which should go beyond the founding fathers of those parties to avoid squabbles,” he said.
Mr Mwaba claimed that PF had no party members in the register and it would be difficult for the party to come up with more than 5, 000 delegates to attend the general conference this weekend.
He said the labour movement was shocked to notice that 10 candidates in PF were contesting the presidential by-election.
“As ZCTU, we are concerned that PF, which is a ruling party, has been involved in bickering from the time President Michael Sata died.
“Ministers and Deputy Ministers are so insecure because they don’t know who will be in power after the presidential by-election. Our demand is that Dr Scott must bring sanity and unity in PF so that the agenda Mr Sata left continues,” Mr Mwaba said.
He also urged Dr Scott to reinstate remaining fired nurses and give the Bemba people a paramount chief for the same of unity and reconciliation.
“As labour movement, we petitioned late Mr Sata but we never got response. We want Government in the spirit of jubilee to pardon nurses like they did for prisoners.
We don’t want this issue of fired nurses to be politicised. We don’t think nurses committed a crime that cannot be forgiven. This issue of nurses has become political and we want them reinstated so that they sustain their families and children,” Mr Mwaba said.
He also warned all political parties participating in the presidential by-election to avoid taking citizens for granted by making empty premises.
UPND constitution……..the president shall be ……..from southern province of Zambia…………………………………..
pio, your level of ancient thinking is amazing! which reading do you do? be realistic! you behave like you dont live on this plant, dont you have relative or friends that live or ever lived in southern and dont you have or know of any of your relatives/ friend/tribes mate that live in /amoung people of southern?
Mulekulako mulitompwe mweefipuba, mubomfya inshi ukutontonkanya? Thank God for what you are and thank him for the gift and presence of others because he has a purpose for each and every soul!!!! You are not God to judge. you know well what you are implying by you statement, but remember, you cant do away with God’s plan for all humans!!!
IS THIS GS a PF carder? was not under political move that these workers where fired and the wage freeze is it not under political move that the the government implemented them?Ror Mwaba, be real!
Are you not the same union that failed to defend the workers when they got fired and yet you continue enjoying and stealing their allowance/allowances at their expense! Tonto kanyeniko baroy nangu tamwakwata amanu bakamba! Frankly your view of thinking is irritating because you are behaving like you are not using your brain to think!!
So, if HH is promising what he is able to offer, let him tell us what he is going to offer to the workers!
You faieled to talk to Sata MHSRIP and today you want to behave like you did anything for the worker. Do you know how we have been living?
Your talking Roy just shows for how much you have been bought -30 peices of silva and really it shows how much a fool you have becom. So keep your foolishness away from us and the public that is affected! We know you are trying to keep your table filled up by this PF and the money you are stealing from the poor civil servant and it just shows how foolish and selfish you are!!
Mufwaya tulemipontela few ubwacha nobwaila? Ikalenifwye imwe bamumbi munda!ba katubi!!