Maravi

ZCTU urges govt not to relax on corruption

ZCTU urges govt not to relax on corruption
Written by Agness Changala
Saturday, April 11, 2009 5:47:39 AM

ZAMBIA Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) has urged the government not to relax in the fight against corruption among public officers who have contributed to the depletion of state resources through selfish acts.

During a workshop to discuss and adopt a draft policy document on employment conditions in the public sector in Lusaka on Thursday, ZCTU secretary general Roy Mwaba said the labour movement, as a major stakeholder, would do everything within its powers to expose corrupt individuals wherever they may be spotted.

“The building of a culture of accountability and transparency among public officers should be given necessary support as this will elevate the integrity of public officers and the system itself,” he said.

Mwaba further called for effective social dialogue which involved stakeholders in decision making processes in the delivery of quality services.

“This is important because establishing effective social dialogue can improve public sector effectiveness through greater transparency and accountability in national decision making, greater information sharing and better communication as well as better democratic participation and governance,” Mwaba said.

He said the challenges that public service sector unions faced demanded that trade unions effectively formulate strategic responses through policy formulation programmes.

Mwaba implored workshop participants to pay specific attention to issues of poor remuneration, poor working conditions, poor career and education opportunities, poor management and a high level of corruption within the public sector which deprived a majority of the meagre resources available.

“Furthermore, I wish to urge you not to forget about other cross-cutting issues such as HIV and AIDS, gender, accountability and governance,” he said.

Mwaba said unions had a duty to ensure that the government delivered on its promises in all aspects through effective monitoring of the implementation process.

He said the first step was to ensure that the government formulated good policies relating to employment, professional development, social exclusion, health care, education, workplace relations and its commitment to close or bridge the gap between the poor and the rich.

Mwaba said the success of the government’s policies would be shaped by public service sector policies to stimulate and sustain productivity growth, implementing skills development and delivering on the vision of building a modern Zambia.

Labels: ZCTU

posted by MrK @ 4:48 AM