.WINA

By BRIAN HATYOKA –

VICE-PRESIDENT Inonge Wina has urged the Zambia Institute of Human Resource and Management (ZIHRM) to keep investing in the promotion of dialogue between managements as well as workers’ representatives and employees to promote industrial harmony.
Ms Wina said there was need to promote and maintain a peaceful industrial atmosphere which was essential for increasing productivity.
She said this in a speech read for her by Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Minister Michael Kaingu at Zambezi Sun Hotel in Livingstone during the official opening of the third Human Resource Summit of the ZIHRM.
“Human resource management and development experts and practitioners are very critical and pivotal in maintaining industrial peace and harmony at places of work.
“This is because these persons are responsible for the design, maintenance and continuous improvements of processes and methodologies in the area of human relationships and interactions and among stakeholders,” Ms Wina said.
The conference is being held under theme “Effective People Management for Organisational Competitive Advantage”.
She said human resource experts and practitioners needed to act as change drivers and not merely victims of change.
Ms Wina challenged ZIHRM to investigate the extent to which human resource experts and practitioners were involved in the formulation of corporate strategies.
She said human resource experts were a critical component in the success or failure of corporate business strategy.
“In this analysis, it will also be interesting for ZIHRM to study the extent of human development planning in the evolution and implementation of corporate strategies.
Ms Wina said human resource needed to be harnessed, developed, respected and supported for the survival, development and growth of any enterprise.
ZIHRM president Andrew Chisala said the institute existed to train and develop human resource in Zambia.
Mr Chisala said the delegates were expected to have an elected Annual General Meeting (AGM) tomorrow.
In a vote of thanks, Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) director of human resource Godfrey Matandala asked
Government and other entities to use qualified human resource practitioners to handle all human resource functions to enhance productivity.