GOVERNMENT says the wage freeze is not “cast in stone” and has invited public sector unions to dialogue over the matter.
Minister of Labour and Social Security Fackson Shamenda extended the invitation during a Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) pre-budget consultative meeting in Lusaka yesterday.
“Nobody has refused to discuss the issue of the wage freeze. Government may have created a problem by not consulting, but the unions should have engaged Government over the issue instead of going to other people. This [wage freeze]is not cast in stone. My doors are open at all times,” Mr Shamenda said
The minister said the unions should be bold enough to challenge authorities over the wage freeze.
He urged ZCTU to constitute a team to meet with him and that he will also invite the Ministry of Finance to discuss the wage freeze.
“Don’t think that you have been deliberately neglected. As Government, we would like to be as popular as anything. But you need to know the channels through which to resolve these issues. You should know when to make noise and when to negotiate,” Mr Shamenda said
He regretted that the unions have not approached him over the wage freeze since it was announced by the Ministry of Finance last year.
“You are saying you are not opposed to the wage freeze, but because you were not consulted. What is your position on this issue?” Mr Shamenda said
He said unions and Government should probe the rationale behind the wage freeze and how it was arrived at, to have a win-win situation.
“We have to meet to discuss how we can manage the wage freeze so that this benefits all Zambians. What will help people is for us to sit and discuss. But if you want to be populist instead of negotiating, the wage freeze will go for three years. Let’s not give ammunition to other people that want to put a wedge between us,” Mr Shamenda said.
He, however, said this is the first time that wages in the public service have been close to the poverty datum line.
And Mr Shamenda said instead of union members lamenting over exploitative employers, they should stand up and bring out the issues.
“You are the best inspectors. Don’t lament. Organise yourselves, and if an employer is being notorious inform us. If you are saying Government has neglected us, then you are missing the point. If you want to be drinking coffee while workers are being exploited, you become irrelevant. Why there is exploitation of workers is because trade unions are dead,” Mr Shamenda said
The wage freeze was announced in September last year.
Earlier, ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba said: “The issue of wage freeze is dear to our hearts. We are not opposed to it, but the question is, how did we arrive at the decision? If we were told reasons we would not have any quarrel. The unilateral decision where the Ministry of Finance announced the wage freeze without consultation is where we have a problem.”
Mr Hikaumba also bemoaned poor wages being offered by some multinationals and described them as exploitative.
“Efforts to create employment have not been very effective. We have been urging Government to come up with very effective jobs. The labour movement is not happy that we have not seen much towards the creation of decent jobs.
“We would like to see workers getting adequate remuneration, social security, social dialogue, respect and freedom of association and the right to bargain,” Mr Hikaumba said.