Return to work, teachers unions tell members

All Teachers’ unions in Zambia have now appealed to their members to return to work after they signed a 15% increment agreement with the Government.

The Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) and the Zambia Union of Teachers (ZNUT) separately said they have accepted the 15 per cent salary increment and now urge their members to immediately return to work.

BETUZ general secretary Cosmas Mukuka said the union would go round the country to explain circumstances leading to the 15% settlement. He said the union leadership had discovered that the strike was instigated by people who were not members of the union who had organised meetings to incite teachers to down tools. He said the agreement signed with the Government clearly stated that negotiations for housing allowance would continue and that there was a proposal to set up a technical committee to look at housing.

“We agreed with our members that we deal with salaries first and then the housing allowance because if the salary is increased the housing allowance has to be increased as well,” Mukuka said.

ZNUT general secretary Newman Bubala said since the union and the Government had signed the 15 per cent salary increment, teachers should return to work. He explained that although teachers may think that the 15 per cent increment was not enough, the union could not go any further considering the economic situation. He said the union had not been compromised but accepted the offer in a give and take spirit because of the current economic woes.

“We are not saying that this is the best but that is how far we could go under the circumstances,” he said.

Education Permanent Secretary Lillian Kapulu said the Government and the three teachers’ unions signed the 15 per cent salary increment. She also appealed to teachers to resume work because the Government had signed the 15 per cent salary increment with BETUZ, ZNUT and the Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ).

Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC) board secretary Clementine Mumba urged nurses and other health workers to resume work for the sake of patients. Ms Mumba said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that the strike had created a negative effect, especially on the health of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Acting Health Minister Mike Mulongoti called for patriotism from striking health workers in their demands for pay rise and urged them to start work immediately.

Mr Mulongoti said that the on going strike had been politicised as evidenced by the display of placards with political messages.

The minister said although negotiations would continue between the Government and striking workers, there was no immediate intention to increase the payrise to more than 15 per cent.

Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) president Crispin Moyo said at a media briefing June 11 that the junior doctors had decided to down tools following numerous problems they faced. Dr Moyo said the Government had on several occasions made verbal promises that it did not implement.

Resident doctors at the Ndola Central Hospital (NCH) and Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital (ADH) joined the strike yesterday and maintained that they would only resume work when nurses and other health workers resumed duties.

RDA Ndola president Bright Nsokolo said in a statement that the doctors at the two hospitals had decided to suspend their duties.

A check in schools and hospitals in Livingstone showed that student nurses were still attending to patients at hospitals and only head of departments and teachers on attachment were teaching in schools.

Civil servants in Solwezi remained adamant despite an announcement of their unions agreeing on a 15 per cent salary increment with the Government.