By MILDRED KATONGO –

THE Zambia United Local Authorities Workers Union (ZULAWU) has urged the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) to expedite the confirmation of council workers on permanent basis.
Most employees in local authorities are either on probation or working without formal contracts.
ZULAWU president Misheck Nyambose said this in a joint statement issued with his Fire Services Union of Zambia (FIRESUZ) counterpart Billing Chanda.
Mr Nyambose said council employees would be motivated if they were confirmed in their positions.
He said that most council workers had worked for a long time been on probation and wondered when they would be confirmed.
He said once all council workers were confirmed, the LGSC would go down in history of Zambia as one that had the interest of workers at heart.
“We wish to appeal to the commission to expedite the confirmation of the council staff countrywide, the move will motivate workers to carry out their duties effectively,” he said.
Mr Nyambose appealed to the Government to implement the national decentralisation policy which emphasised on the importance of the local government staff.
He commended the LGSC in the manner it had handled the confirmations of staff at Solwezi Municipal Council.
“As unions in local government we are overwhelmed and further appeal to the commission to deal with all pending confirmations in the council’s country wide,” he said.
He assured members of the union that negotiations for new conditions of service would soon commence before the current collective agreement expired.