Maravi

Trade unions’ role is to fight for workers’ rights - Nonde

Trade unions’ role is to fight for workers’ rights - Nonde
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sunday March 18, 2007 [02:00]

FEDERATION of Free Trade Unions in Zambia (FFTUZ) president Joyce Nonde has said the MMD government thinks labour leaders hate it because it does not understand the role of the labour movement. And Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary general Sylvester Tembo has reminded the MMD that it was a formation of the labour movement. Reacting to defence minister George Mpombo's statement in Parliament that trade union leaders have corrosive hatred for the government, Nonde said trade unions' role was to fight for workers’ rights and conditions of service and that did not imply that the unions hated the government.

"How can we hate them? They are the ones who hate us. The MMD government doesn't understand the role of the trade unions. The role of trade unions is to fight for workers," Nonde said. "But if you government put bad policies for workers, the trade unions will question that." She said the MMD government was a group of people that always wanted to be praised and once one criticised it, it became very bitter. "This is not a chiefdom where you praise even when things are bad," she said. "They are full of vengeance, victimisation, hatred against trade union leaders." Nonde observed that Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s government, which was "dictatorial", tolerated trade unions unlike the MMD government.

And Sylvester Tembo said the MMD government could not accuse trade unions of being against it because it was their formation in 1991. "They must not forget that the MMD is the formation of the labour movement," Tembo said. He said Mpombo's sweeping statement was misplaced and painted a bad picture about trade unions. "Zambian workers are fighting for bread and butter and when we remind them about that, the government thinks we hate them," Tembo said. "We as trade unions, want to be independent and independent we shall be. If they are going to deliver, they are going to be praised but if they are going to fail, we will be reminded; if they are greedy we will remind them. No one wants greedy leaders, and that is not hatred."

Mpombo, as acting leader of government business in Parliament on Thursday, accused some union officials of having a corrosive hatred for the government. He said there was need for the labour movement and the government to develop partnerships.
Some MMD parliamentarians were heard shouting, "Nonde! Nonde!"

Labels: JOYCE NONDE, TRADE UNIONS

posted by MrK @ 4:49 AM