Speak with one voice, Shamenda tells unions

Labour and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda has implored the labour movement in the country to speak with one voice on labour matters.

Mr. Shamenda said this in Lusaka today when he officially opened the second merging workshop for the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ).

He says there are too many unions in Zambia making it difficult to effectively represent their members.

And Mr. Shamenda has called on the two unions to help strengthen the Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ) so that it can speak with a strong voice for journalists more especially those in the private media who he says are underpaid.

He says it is unfortunate that journalists speak for the welfare of other workers, but fail to fight for their own rights due to lack of a viable union to speak on their behalf.

Speaking earlier,Labour Institute of Zambia (LIZ) Chairperson Dr. Fanuel Sumaili disclosed that talks are in progress to bring the Confederation of Trade Unions in Zambia (COTUZ)on board so that the three unions merge and speak with one voice.

And ZCTU Senior Trustee Catherine Chinundu says the multiplist of trade unions in Zambia has weakened labour voices thus the need for the major ones to merge so as to effectively represent the workers.

And FFTUZ President Chingati Msiska says the merging of the unions will come with its own challenges, but stressed that the two giant unions are ready to overcome those challenges for the good of the labour movement in Zambia.