Maravi

JCTR challenges MPs to postpone mid-term gratuity

JCTR challenges MPs to postpone mid-term gratuity
Written by George Zulu in Monze
Saturday, June 13, 2009 3:24:43 PM

JESUIT Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has challenged members of parliament to show leadership by postponing their mid-term gratuity to a later date.
And JCTR has charged that there is a lot of fraud in the manner the government contracts loans.

In an interview after the launch of the Basic Needs Basket for Monze on Thursday, JCTR coordinator for the outreach programme Innocent Ndashe said MPs should show leadership by postponing their mid-term gratuity especially at a time when Zambia was going through difficult times to address issues of strikes among public service workers.

Ndashe said it would be irresponsible for members of parliament to get mid-term gratuity and deny workers decent and meaningful wages, adding that the current strike by government workers should be a priority.

“Government should prove to the people that they really don’t have the money to pay what the workers are demanding for and that will be if only they address the issues of corruption and abuse of public funds and they also explain to the satisfaction of the workers why they want to go ahead with the payments of mid-term gratuity to MPs. No wonder we are saying MPs should show leadership by postponing their gratuity to a later date. Government as you are aware has indicated that MPs will receive their mid-term gratuity and that does not make sense to say they don’t have money and if that is the way government will operate, they will find a lot of opposition on the matter,” Ndashe said.

And launching the Basic Needs Basket for Monze, social conditions programme coordinator Raphael Phiri said the BNB, if taken seriously could help influence the government to consider paying its workers decent wages as it brought out the prevailing conditions in society.

Phiri also said union leaders should effectively use the BNB tool during the bargaining process.

And Jubilee Zambia Monze Branch chairperson Alphas Chibbamu said the launch of the BNB would give direction of how much wages both the government and private sectors should be able to pay their workers.

And the JCTR has charged that there was a lot of fraud in the manner government contracted foreign debt.

“There is fraud in the manner this government is handling and contracting loans from our cooperating partners and as JCTR we strongly advocate for a legal framework to be implemented and enacted into law so that members of parliament can give an oversight to such loans. It is saddening that this government has continued contracting unsustainable loans,” said Ndashe.

Labels: INNOCENT NDASHE, JCTR, MPs, RAPHAEL PHIRI

posted by MrK @ 2:29 PM