Maravi

PETUZ calls for resignation of ZCTU leadership

PETUZ calls for resignation of ZCTU leadership
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Wed 05 Oct. 2011, 05:20 CAT

PROFESSIONAL Teachers Union of Zambia (PTUZ) says the current leadership of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) must resign as they have failed workers in the country.

PTUZ general secretary Kangwa Musenga said the top leadership of the ZCTU abandoned their responsibilities in the Rupiah Banda regime as they were more on the side of the government and not the workers. Musenga said workers in the country could not continue with leaders that turned themselves into MMD cadres.

"It was morally wrong for the ZCTU leaders to remain in office when they had abandoned their fundamental responsibilities of representing the labour movement and pushing the agenda of good governance in a democratic dispensation.

The current wave of protests going round in the country by workers clearly showed how ZCTU failed to notice the problems workers had or it simply means the ZCTU deliberately ignored the plight of workers because they became MMD cadres. This is unacceptable, almost all workers protesting, it also shows that the ZCTU leadership was compromised by the employer," Musenga said.

He said workers in the country needed strong representatives at all times. Musenga said ZCTU affiliates must call for an extra-ordinary general meeting to elect new leaders who must compete for positions without intimidation.

He said PTUZ was humbled by the appointment of former ZCTU president Fackson Shamenda as labour minister and former MUZ president Rayford Mbulu as deputy minister, adding that the two would help clean the mess at the ministry.

Musenga said the union was confident that the new education minister Dr John Phiri would improve education standards in the country. He said several teachers were suspended during elections by the MMD government because of their support for PTUZ and it was the hope of the union that the suspensions would be uplifted.

Musenga said government must also expedite the process of signing the recognition agreement for PTUZ as Banda's government refused to recognise the union's existence on unfounded and false accusations that it was a wing of the Patriotic Front.

Labels: PTUZ, TRADE UNIONS, ZCTU

posted by MrK @ 1:42 PM