Maravi

Workers wanted Zamtel privatised, claims Rupiah

Workers wanted Zamtel privatised, claims Rupiah
Written by Bivan Saluseki in Mukando, Serenje
Wednesday, August 05, 2009 3:10:50 PM

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said the Zamtel management, workers and their union wanted the company privatised quickly because of its liquidity position.
And a Serenje chief who was among the seven that attended President Banda's rally at Gibson Basic School said the chiefs were given K1 million each during their meeting with President Banda.

Meanwhile, some teachers in Serenje who met President Banda at Mukando Basic School along Tuta Road had their letter of demands confiscated by the office of the District Education Board Secretary.

Addressing a rally to drum up support for MMD candidate Dr Solomon Musonda on Monday, President Banda said when he went to Ndola recently, he had been asked by Zamtel management to find an equity partner who could inject money in the company because it owed a lot of money.

President Banda said he told them that it would take about six months to find a person or organisation to be a partner but management said they wanted one as quickly as possible.

"We know that when you bring in such a partner, some of our workers will lose their jobs," President Banda said.

He said Zamtel owed creditors a lot of money and a solution had to be found and that foreign investment was needed just like in the mines. He said it was wrong for the opposition and a certain newspaper, which specialises in lies, to claim that only children attended his rallies.

President Banda said such people were jealous that the children went with their parents to his meetings because they were peaceful. He asked Zambians to be objective and not quit speaking the truth.

And a chief who attended the closed door meeting with President Banda and other chiefs, said they were given K1 million in envelopes. The chief said they had expected more but were disappointed with the amount they received.

The chief said they had been forced to attend the rally by another named chief.

"We thought the envelopes had more money but when we opened, there was only K1,000,000," he said.

And some teachers complained that their letter of demands to President Banda had Mukando Basic School had been confiscated before they met him.

The teachers said an official from the office of the DEBS confiscated their demands which included housing and rural hardship allowances.

Labels: PRIVATISATION, RUPIAH BANDA, ZAMTEL

posted by MrK @ 2:11 PM