.MWABA

By NAKUBIANA SHABONGO –

THE Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) says it will mobilize workers to demonstrate at Parliament against the wage freeze.
ZCTU Secretary General, Roy Mwaba said the labour movement would demonstrate, to urge parliamentarians not to endorse the budget until the wage freeze was lifted.
Mr Mwaba said the unions would not allow the continuation of the wage freeze because it was against the law and unjustified.
“If we will not be heard through our demonstration, we shall apply other measures and actions to emphasise our disapproval of the wage freeze,” he said.
The Labour Movement had dialogued with Government on a number of national issues including the Constitution, Public Order Act and Labour Reforms that had dragged on and that Government should halt the proposed budget first if it wanted to continue the dialogue.
“Despite calls on Government throughout 2014 to have the wage freeze lifted in the 2015 Budget, Government has gone ahead to freeze salary increments for 2015, while the cost of living has been rising and fuel has increased,” he said.
He said according to local and international laws, workers were entitlement to collective bargaining annually.
Mr Mwaba expressed concern over the continuation of the wage freeze.
He wondered why the 2015 Budget had no allocation to correct salary anomalies within its structure because ZCTU had expected Government to set aside funds for the exercise.