ZAMMSA Workers Threaten Industrial Action Over Delayed Agreement
Unionised employees at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency have warned that they will take industrial action if management does not immediately implement the collective bargaining agreement they say was concluded three months ago. In a letter dated September 4, 2025 addressed to the director general, National Union of Commercial and Industrial Workers of Zambia Congress of Trade Unions secretary general George Kanyanta said the agency had not effected the negotiated terms and that members were running out of patience.
Kanyanta stated that the agreement covered salary increments and other allowances, and that failure to implement the package had placed strain on workers who are already facing a high cost of living. He said management’s inaction breached the understanding reached at the bargaining table and undermined the rights and welfare of staff at the agency. He further cited the legal framework, referencing CAP 269 section 75 of the Laws of Zambia, and argued that non compliance with agreed terms is not consistent with the protections owed to union members.
The union demanded that management honour the agreement within September 2025. Kanyanta warned that if the matter is not resolved within that timeframe, the union would consider lawful remedies available under labour statutes, including steps that could lead to a work stoppage. He said the objective is to secure the agreed adjustments without disruption to services, but that employees cannot be expected to wait indefinitely once a collective agreement has been concluded.
Sources close to the agency said governance gaps were contributing to delays. According to those sources, ZAMMSA has operated without a board for more than eight months. In the absence of a board, they said, approvals that would ordinarily be handled by directors have been pushed to the line ministry. They described the arrangement as an obstacle to routine decision making and said it has left management reluctant to move on commitments without ministerial sign off. The sources added that many positions in management are currently filled in an acting capacity, which they said complicates accountability for time sensitive human resource decisions.
The same sources said management had indicated that the agency could meet the agreed position but required a green light from the Minister of Health before releasing the salary adjustments. They also pointed to earlier correspondence in which a previous management team wrote to the ministry stating that no salary increments would be effected. Union representatives said that letter was sent without agreement with workers and before the 2025 bargaining process had formally begun.
Details shared from the bargaining rounds held between February and June 2023 show that management initially proposed a zero increment, a stance the union rejected, citing pressure on household budgets. The parties eventually settled on a compromise that would award 500 kwacha to all unionised employees with effect from January 2025. According to sources, the understanding at the time was that management would implement the other agreed items immediately, while the salary component would follow after authority was obtained from the minister.
The union says that sequence has now stretched far beyond what members considered reasonable. Kanyanta’s letter pressed management to communicate clearly and to move forward on the binding terms that were negotiated. He said the workforce has tried to remain patient but that uncertainty has created agitation on the shop floor. He also urged the employer to work with the union to prevent disruption to ZAMMSA’s core functions, which include the procurement and distribution of medicines and medical supplies.
Staff who spoke on condition of anonymity said frustration has grown because the agency’s mandate touches hospitals and clinics across the country, and employees do not want to see operations slowed by a labour dispute. They said they are still attending to duties and expect the leadership to resolve the impasse quickly so attention can remain on the public health supply chain. They also said they expect transparent communication on timelines for implementing the salary adjustment and the other allowances contained in the agreement.
The call from the union places the matter squarely with the agency’s leadership and the supervising ministry. If approvals are needed, workers want them expedited so that the agreement can be implemented without further delay. The union maintains that the negotiated package reflected the financial realities facing staff and that honouring it now would stabilise relations at the agency. Management has not yet issued a detailed public response to the letter, and workers say their next steps will depend on whether the agency meets the September implementation window.