Maravi

Workers urge govt to overhaul ZIBSIP

Workers urge govt to overhaul ZIBSIP
By Mwila Chansa-Ntambi
Thu 20 Oct. 2011, 08:20 CAT

ZAMBIA Institute of Business and Industrial Practice (ZIBSIP) workers have urged the government to overhaul management at the institution because it has failed to deliver. The workers who sought anonymity alleged that a lot of things were going wrong at the learning institution because most people holding senior management positions were ill-qualified for the jobs. The workers complained that most of them, especially lecturers, were demoralised.

"The major issue is that people have failed to manage the institution that is number one. They have failed to manage the institution because they seem to do things just at random. They have no management skills and that is why students were protesting because they also cited the same," one of the workers said.

Another worker said management had been terminating the contracts of outspoken union leaders thereby promoting a culture of fear and intimidation amongst unionised workers.

The workers also complained that they were not privy to management officials' salaries and that this made it difficult for the union to bargain for better perks.

"For instance, when you go to negotiate you realise that we don't know their salaries and then they tell us, look we have to put a certain smaller per cent because it applies to all of us. But you see, 10 per cent of K10 million is K1 million, 10 per cent of K1 million is only K100,000," the worker said.

The workers appealed to education minister Dr John Phiri to take keen interest in the affairs of the institution and intervene to restore confidence among lecturers and other workers.

Last week, ZIBSIP students protested against, among other issues, management's failure to run the institution and poor sanitation and learning environment.

They were also demanding a reduction in the boarding fees following management's decision to introduce self-catering with effect from next year.

Labels: EDUCATION, JOHN PHIRI

posted by MrK @ 2:41 PM