Police disperse protesting Zampost workers
By ROGERS KALERO POLICE in Kitwe yesterday morning dispersed ZAMPOST workers who had locked up the Main Post office to protest over alleged intimidation and non-payment of three months’ salary arrears.
The workers, led by National Union of Communication Workers (NUCW) Kitwe branch chairperson Ennie Banda, locked up the Main Post office and assembled outside with placards denouncing intimidation from management.
But, the police who arrived on the scene grabbed the placards and told the workers to resume work or go back home if they had resolved to stage a work stoppage.
The police told the workers to disperse because they were holding an illegal assembly and that if they did not disperse, they would be apprehended and detained in police custody for illegal assembly.
"What are they doing? Bati taila Ntawi ise Tuli bana bakwa Lungu ifwe meaning " what are they doing,? they are wasting our time. We are children of President Edgar Lungu," said one police officer as the other officers swung into action to disperse the protesters.
But in response, one of the protesting Zampost workers said they were also President Lungu's children and wanted him to help them sort out the mess at the company.
“We are also children of President Lungu, in fact, we are last born children of President Lungu," said one of the protesting Zampost workers.
One of the workers called their national executive committee (NEC) a ‘sell out’ because of the influence from the Zampost Post Master General Macpherson Chanda.
She said the NUCW president Mr John Kangwa was suspended because of his firm stance on fighting for workers' rights and intimidation of branch union leaders who were speaking against the non-payment of three months’ salary arrears.
“We are protesting because our NUCW president Mr John Kangwa was suspended by NEC because of the influence of the Zampost Post Master General Macpherson Chanda. He was suspended because of his firm stance of fighting for workers' rights,
“So far, we have gone for three months without being paid. When somebody talks about the intimidation and non-payment of salary arrears, he or she is intimidated by the 'sell out' NEC and management," she said.