By STEVEN ZANDE

.Simukoko

LABOUR and Social Security Minister Joyce Simukoko and the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Nkole Chishimba yesterday differed over what ZCTU described as Government’s scheme to silence the labour movement through de-registrations.
Ms Simukoko who asked ZCTU president Nkole Chishimba not to mislead the gathering later said the Government wanted a union movement that operated with integrity while using membership subscription fees to educate members on their labour rights and not for personal gain.
This was during the launch of a three-day International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) conference at Fringilla Lodge in Chisamba sponsored by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and ITUC.
The Government was concerned that in a liberalised economic set up, some union leaders were abusing membership funds, a trend which undermined efforts to improve workers’ conditions of service.
“We will not sit and watch labour leaders abuse membership subscription fees. We will not deregister any union that is following the rules. I want to assure you that the Government does not have any
agenda to weaken the labour movement,” she said.
Ms Simukoko said Government respected labour leaders because of their role in fighting for workers’ rights hence the need for stronger corroboration between the two parties to find solutions to challenges
facing workers in a globalised environment where laws changed to suit the fast changing economic trends.
She further said there was need for trade unions to help the State formalise the informal sector and by inspecting workers’ conditions of service in the informal sector.
Mr Chishimba accused the Government of scheming to deregister Workers Union of TAZARA (WUTAZ), a workers’ union at the Copperbelt University and another at Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RTSA), and the cited unions had not been implicated in membership funds abuse.
He said officers at Labour Office should not take negotiations personal because the fight for better conditions of service for employees was ongoing and necessary for workers to enjoy better treatment in the workplace.
“We are concerned that the trend where a number of unions have been threatened with deregistration citing various reasons under your administration is unprecedented and is a cause for concern,” Mr
Chishimba said.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Representative Alexio Musindo said the conference was timely in that it took place in the backdrop of positive regional economic gains with poor job creation results.
Mr Musindo said this provided an opportunity for the labour movement to negotiate for workers’ better conditions of service.
FES programmes manager Kathy Short said among other things, her organisation had set aside 160 million Euros to help deal with violence and workers’ rights globally and Zambia was among beneficiary countries.