• VICE-President Guy Scott is joined by an expectant mother, Patricia Nyangulu in cutting a ribbon during the official hand over of a mothers’ and relatives’ shelter at Chipata General Hospital yesterday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANIS

By JULIUS PHIRI –

VICE-PRESIDENT Guy Scott has said the Government has continued with the exercise of harmonising conditions of service for public service workers.

Addressing teachers at Chipata Day Secondary School in Chipata yesterday, Dr Scott said the harmonisation was being done at Cabinet level.

He said the process of the harmonising the conditions of service by Cabinet may take three to four years.
The Vice-President was sure that once completed, harmonisation of the conditions of services would assist in settling anomalies that had been going on in the public service, including the teaching fraternity.

Dr Scott said he was aware that there were a number of anomalies in teachers’ salaries, repatriation allowances and other conditions of service in the teaching service which needed to be addressed by the
Government.

“I am sure once the harmonisation is completed by Cabinet in three to four years, we are going to see the public service workers getting same salaries,” he said.

Dr Scott also said that the Government was determined to build a university in Chipata District, which was part of the ambitious plan to have at least a university in each province.

He said teachers should not engage in partisan politics but continue to act as civil servants.

Dr Scott was disappointed that Civil Society Organisations had mobilised to attack the Government over the Constitution.

He said he had not seen the Draft Constitution but online publications had put a document online.

Dr Scott reiterated that the Government was waiting for the Technical Committee on Drafting the Zambian Constitution to hand over the document to Republican President Michael Sata according to the terms and reference of the committee.

He said the Government was doing everything possible to develop the country with massive infrastructure development already underway, including the improvement of the road network under the Link Zambia
8000 and Pave 2000 projects.

Speaking at the same meeting, Eastern Province Minister Malozo Sichone said 22 basic schools had already been upgraded to secondary schools in the province.

The meeting was attended by provincial Permanent

Secretary Dr Chileshe Mulenga, Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health Jean Kapata,  PF Eastern Province chairperson Lameck Mangani and Chipata District Commissioner Kalunga Zulu.

Meanwhile, Dr Scott has commended the ministers’ spouses for rehabilitating the mothers and relatives’ shelter at Chipata General Hospital.

Dr Scott, who toured the hospital, said the facility would assist in the delivery of quality healthcare services at the hospital.

Earlier, Dr Scott’s wife Charlotte said it was the duty of the club to uplift the living standards of the people.