We, as the Green Party, are extremely disappointed with the manner in which Information Minister Chishimba Kambwili has handled the employer-employee relationships at ZNBC in the last week which resulted in the suspension of a union leader Martin Maseka. Since the root cause of the disturbance specifically relates to collective bargaining, industrial relations, and social security laws, we would like to appeal to Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda to immediately intervene and resolve the impasse.
Further, we urge government to immediately suspend the Director General Richard Mwanza so as to facilitate investigations of alleged abrogation of the collective agreement and misappropriation of monies.If the PF government is serious with fighting corruption and promoting good governance and transparency in public institutions. Furthermore, we urge the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Anti-Money Laundering Unit of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to move in and investigate alleged misappropriation of workers’ pension funds by ZNBC Management.
We believe that the workers have a cause to protest since management decided to unilaterally delete or remove some of the conditions of service from the collective agreement. If proven, this constitutes a grave breach of labour laws. Instead of intimidating and persecuting the workers, it is therefore imperative that Government lends them an ear. In a democracy a government should be sensitive to workers distresses.
Secondly, the workers allege that management has not accounted for the monies deducted from earning to pay Zambia National Building Society, which has resulted into some employees facing legal action. This is a very serious corruption and money-laundering allegation which warrants prompt proactive investigations by ACC and DEC. We hope that the two institutions have already moved in to investigate the allegations.
Peter Sinkamba
President
Green Party of Zambia
I’m tought this director is evil workers at Znbc are not happy because of this witchcraft and my appeal should go to relevant authority to dismiss him.Galu iwe!
A Kalulu, osa tukwana, kambani chabe bwino. Shaaa
Unions are a worst of time and resources, as much as the Director might not be competent, Employers in coordination with Ministry of Labour should make sure employee affairs are well looked at. does not need unions who are all politicians to remind employers of their duly duties.
Problem is that Zambians work hard and very professional when outside?? but not in Zambian, they are lazy, unprofessional let alone practice unethical behaviors.
ZNBC should just be sold if it can not sustain itself.
Confrontational language like the one used by the Green Party is not helpful.
Imagine you were Government, would you even listen to such. Let’s grow up.
Martin Maseka has been suspended as an employee of ZNBC, NOT as a union leader. He deserves the suspension, he cannot insult his superiors as in “…… no matter what rubbish the Minister will tell us…..”. In every organisation there are norms of behaviour expected of every employee from the bottom to the top. Otherwise there would be anarchy and it would be impossible to run organisations. No matter what his grievances are, as a leader Maseka cannot expect to insult his superiors and get away with it, whether employed by government of PF, UPND, Rainbow, Green Party or Black party or Orange party, or whether employed by ZNBC, DSTV, ZANACO, Barclays Bank or Finance Bank, or indeed The Post newspaper itself.
The minister is not his superior. The minister is actually his servant. His superiors are within ZNBC. The minister is not supposed to run ZNBC. It should be run by its Director General
Cadreism has eroded professionalism in this country. I have no respect for my ‘supervisor’ as well because he is a cadre. And a foolish cadre for that matter. The ***** has no grey matter. Meanwhile it is the people we serve who suffer. I have vowed to just enjoy government money until this stupid grade for leaves this one . The back stops at Lungu’s feet. Shame . VIVA MASEKA.
You must be a fool. when one is elected into a union position, that role takes precedence over your institutional standing. That Maseka guy issued those remarks as a member of the local union and not as a member of staff. Trade unionists are protected in their work by the industry and labor relations act. cap 269 of the laws of Zambia. why do some Zambians like advertising their ignorance and foolishness?????
Listen naiwe Peter Sinkamba nefyamba upeepa.
Don’t confuse issues here after mwapepa ka fwaka. This Maseka has not been suspended for the issues that the union has raised with government regarding ZNBC Director General. He has been suspended by ZNBC for insulting the Minister, period.
And listen you other politicians, do not make political capital out of this. Learn from other past Zambia Presidents who encouraged anarchy and insults when they were in opposition, e.g. stealing classified government information and peddling it to the public. You know them so I will not mention names. Suffice to say that when they became Presidents themselves, this backfired on them, and backfired on all of us as citizens and as a country.
The reason the Minister of Information is by the Act curtailed in direct dealings with ZNBC is to avoid such confrontations where employees rubbish you. ZNBC has a board. It is the board that should have interacted with Management and the Union. By issuing threats of dismissal, you are opening yourself to ridicule such as we are witnessing now. Maseka is representing the union in this case, and ideally, ZNBC would have responded by terminating recognition in view of this so-called insult to a senior government official unless the union disciplined its leader. That is how it works.
What happens to money deducted by Zesco from my bills on behalf of znbc? I don’t see any improvement by tvz!
Whatever Maseka’s issue may be with ZNBC management, there is still an issue or two with ZNBC management worth investigations.
Almost daily you hear of ACC or DEC investigate this or that allegation, in this or that Ministry or Parastatal. These two bodies seem to be already overwhelmed with old cases, which apparently don’t end. The only way to end this sickening culture of corruption is if a special Tribunal is formed to deal with such cases. But who seriously will advocate for such among the people with the powers?