ZCTU cites unions’ operational woes

THE ever rising cost of living and the poor conditions among workers has made the work of the trade union movement even harder because it has to ensure that social justice prevails, The Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) has said

ZCTU Secretary General, Cosmas Mukuka, said the labour movement needed workers and leaders who understand their rights and roles so well that they can defend and adequately protect workers interests

Mr Mukuka was speaking yesterday in Kitwe when he officially opened the Study Circle Leader Training of Trainers Workshop under the Pan-African Trade Union Education Programme (PANAF) He said it was his sincere hope that that through this seminar, the ZCTU would develop a cadre of trainers who would use the Study Circles to consolidate efforts of repositioning and refocusing the trade union work

"I do not have to remind you the critical role workers' education play in strengthening the labour movement and we all know that industrial relations situation in the country has been challenging . We therefore need leaders who can rise to the occasion to effectively bargain on behalf of their members.

"To develop a cadre of such leaders, we need an efficient system of workers' education to empower leaders with the necessary tools and skills to carry out their responsibilities effectively,'' Mr Mukuka said

Mr Mukuka said the financial and technical support from PANAF would help the labour movement to improve and change its image.

He said, therefore, that it was important to use the privilege of the workshop to achieve the empowerment of the membership. Mr Mukuka said ZCTU was committed to advocating for necessary policy changes, saying it was important to incorporate the new changes that had come with the 2019 new employment code.

"We need to quickly understand it and how to use it in the study circles. The struggle continues as we fight for the restoration of human dignity for all workers.

"I want to reiterate that we need to make use of the knowledge and skills that shall be imparted in us, in order to change the way we drive our trade union,'' he said.

He stressed from the onset that the commitment of the participants to the workshop's objectives would make a great difference to the union's work after the workshop

"Colleagues, we are excited that the process of training more of Study Circles Leaders is a great step towards benefiting more of the grass roots members in the union circles who are the intended beneficiaries ,'' he said