Minister of Labour and Social Security Fackson Shamenda has observed that enlightening workers on industrial relations matters was a key ingredient to improving the labour conditions in the country.
Mr. Shamenda said workers were the best labour inspectors in any workplace hence the need to educate them about labour issues.
He noted that high levels of ignorance on industrial relation issues among workers in the country were a source of concern to government.
He was speaking in Lusaka today when he handed over 12 vehicles to the Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) Provincial leaders.
Mr. Shamenda observed that many workers do not know their rights in the workplaces a situation he said resulted into them being taken advantage of by their employers.
He said this ignorance has also resulted in workers engaging into strikes even before negotiation procedures are exhausted and a dispute declared.
He said only when workers were enlightened on their rights will the labour industry in the country be enviable.
And Mr. Shamenda has directed trade unions in Zambia to ensure that 30 percent of their total earnings were directed towards programmes that directly benefit their members.
He said union members were entitled to 30 percent of the revenue collected from their contributions adding that government will ensure that all unions comply with this policy.
Mr. Shamenda commended ZNUT for the initiative of acquiring vehicles for its leaders and urged the union provincial leaders to put them to good use.
Meanwhile, ZNUT president, Henry Kapendwa said the vehicles were meant to provide quality service delivery in all provinces.
Mr. Kapendwa explained that the vehicles, which will be dispatched to all provinces in Zambia, will enable union leaders to reach out to all ZNUT members in far places.
ZANIS
It is a move in the right direction. Leaders of these so called unions have amassed wealth at the expense of poor teachers.
ZNUT do not deserve these vehicles has abuse will be the order of the day,Government instead should have bought motor cycles so that these so called leaders can reach the outskirts of the remote areas in the villages.
It’s not government who bought the vehicles but ZNUT themselves, however you are right because they just abuse them for their personal errands
The problem with the unions is that,the top leadership who do n’t meet regulary with the members are the ones who benefit from membership contributions leavin the districts and branches to do work on behalf with almost no funds.Also lack of communication between the membership and union reps so far very few unions have updated their membership on negoti with the govnment leaving members to speculate.
Let’s hope Csawuz and other unions will learn from this
It is saddening to learn that these Union are able to get vehicles from the cash collected, but now whom is going to use them mismanagement is now encouraged.