ZCTU backs President Lungu on avoiding by-elections

Cosmas-MukukaThe Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) says it supports intentions by Republican President Edgar Lungu to find ways of avoiding by-elections in order to cut costs.
ZCTU Secretary General Cosmas Mukuka in a statement says the union fully supports such intentions considering that the country has various developmental needs which deserve government funding but have suffered due to the high cost of political elections at various levels.
Mr Mukuka says while ZCTU appreciates that democracy is not cheap, it is more logical to avoid wasting government resources on by-elections, when there are more needy areas on which such resources can be spent to improve livelihoods.
He says the ZCTU will support any plans by government to avoid costly elections in order to channel such expenditure on public spending.
Mr Mukuka points out that issues if the wage freeze, imposing a freeze on employment recruitment in the public sector and failure by government to meet the huge bill of unpaid retirement benefits could be resolved if focus could be diverted from excessive spending on elections to social and economic spending.
And Mr Mukuka says the ZCTU is pleased that Mr Lungu has directed staff at State House not to insulate or isolate the President from the public.
He says in the past it proved impossible for the ZCT to meet the late President Micheal Sata at State House to discuss serious and urgent national issues such as the wage freeze, the dismissal of nurses and other labour related matters and as a result the issues remained unresolved.
The ZCTU has also welcomed the appointment of Ms Inonge Wina as republican vice President.
Mr Mukuka says they are hopeful that her appointment will help unite the country and that she will speak broadly on issues affecting people and women in particular.

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