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Liato urges millers to stabilise mealie-meal prices

Liato urges millers to stabilise mealie-meal prices
Written by Moses Kuwema
Friday, May 01, 2009 2:41:07 PM

LABOUR minister Austin Liato has urged millers in the country to stabilise the rising prices of mealie-meal.

During the National Milling Corporation (NMC) staff recognition awards in Lusaka on Wednesday, Liato said people were taking advantage of the global financial crisis to hike mealie meal prices beyond reasonable means.

“In these difficult times, mealie meal pricing is critical so we need leaders to ensure prices are stabilised and we are expecting these high prices to be temporal because this year, we are likely to have good harvests,” Liato said.

And Liato said the first ever awards by NMC were a clear indications of how employer and employee relationships must develop in the workplace.

He said the awards ceremony showed that the workforce was cardinal and essential to the success of any business.

Liato said partnerships between the government, unions and the business sector were a vital tool in driving Zambia’s continued economic growth.

And Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba said human resource was a critical component of production.

Hikaumba said most companies in the country were not well because they had not looked after their workers.

He said the labour movement will continue to speak out as long as things are not perfect.

“As long as things are not perfectly well, things that seem to be hostile, we will continue to speak out..it’s a good thing to be informed in advance when new things are about to be implemented, because we would like to maintain industrial peace,” said Hikaumba.

And NMC managing director Peter Cottan said the company’s main focus was on work place productivity.

Cottan said NMC was looking for business practices that would improve timeliness, quality, minimise costs and waste by involving employees’ participation in innovation and technology.

Labels: AUSTIN LIATO, INFLATION, MEALIE-MEAL, NMC

posted by MrK @ 1:42 PM