By CATHERINE NYIRENDA and MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
THE visit by President Edgar Lungu to the Copperbelt is good, as it has brought hope in quenching the industrial unrest which had rocked the province, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) Secretary General Cosmas Mukuka has said.
Mr Mukuka said in an interview yesterday that the Union was happy because the President spent time to address industrial relations issues with the mining companies and the Copperbelt University (CBU).
“What is good about his visit on the Copperbelt is that the President humbled himself and went to get the views about the industrial unrest with the mining companies. We are happy that the President also met the lecturers and students at the CBU,” Mr Mukuka said.
He said the Union now expects progress in talks between the stakeholders to save jobs in the mines.
Mr Mukuka also encouraged the lecturers at the CBU to continue engaging in dialogue to reach a mutual understanding on the differences that had rocked the institution.
“There is need for people to learn to resolve issues through dialogue rather than resorting to industrial unrest or retrenchments,” he said.
Meanwhile, a political analyst Alex Ng’oma has advised President Lungu to remain focused and avoid being detracted by people criticising his decision to visit the provinces on working trips.
Dr Ng’oma, who is a lecturer for political science at the University of Zambia (UNZA), said people should not teach the President Lungu what to do, but allow him to do his work.
“It is unfortunate that people oppose everything that President Lungu does and want to direct him on what to do, they should learn to respect what he does because he has the mandate to govern the country,” Dr Ng’oma said.
He said people should learn to respect the President as he had the mandate to govern the nation.
He regretted the situation where opposition leaders were always criticising the decisions that the President and his administration were making.
In a related development, the Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors (AMSC) took advantage of President Lungu’s visit to the Copperbelt to present their challenges to Government.
Association President Augustine Mubanga expressed happiness with President Lungu for the rare opportunity he accorded them to present their propositions which were taken into consideration.
Mr Mubanga said in an interview yesterday that mine suppliers and contractors have not been immune to the challenges affecting the mining sector as they too had been badly hit.
“As mine suppliers and contractors, we have found ourselves in a very peculiar situation arising from the challenges affecting the mines.
“A number of our members have had their orders cancelled and some contracts terminated by the mines, as a result, some contracting firms have been left with no option, but to shed off labour,” Mr Mubanga said.
He said the Association had been concerned that the previous attempt to save jobs in the mining industry had been focused on direct employees with contract related labour being overlooked.