DON’T WAIT TO BE FIRED IF INTERNS ARE NOT PAID BY NEXT WEEK, NKANDU WARNS MINISTRY OFFICIALS
By Oliver Chisenga
YOUTH, Sport and Arts minister Elvis Nkandu has told accounting officials at the ministry to resign if interns and volunteers engaged under the IVAG programme are not paid by next week.
The youths who are part of the National Youth Internship, Volunteer, Apprenticeship and Graduates (IVAG) programme, sought an audience with Nkandu and permanent secretary for administration Kangwa Chileshe over the non-payment of interns’ wages.
After hearing the challenges that have caused the non-payment and part payment of the wages, Nkandu warned that the officers responsible should not wait to be fired if the status quo continues next week.
Addressing the chief accountant, interns and volunteers at the ministry, Nkandu told the accounting officials to “just fire yourselves or hand in your resignation” if payments are not made by next week.
“Everyone should be paid. Nga nkomfwekofye ati tamulalipila (If I hear that you have not paid), ba (Mr) Mulaisho and your group, I should not tell you to vacate your offices, just go on your own. I have made it very, very clear. I should not hear that they are not paid,” he said.
Nkandu told the interns to inform him directly if they are not paid by next week and not through social media.
“Come to the PS office or mine so that you see how we will act on these people who don’t want to do their work,” Nkandu said. “Please pay these people… I am giving you one week because that’s the maximum I can give. They can even pay you in a day or two if everything is just okay. We don’t want to come and sit in here again.”
He further warned Kangwa to do his job and not “tarnish the image” of the ministry.
“Yes, we are friends but when it comes to work, the story changes, so please just work and if you don’t want to work, tell me. You can even bring your resignation letter on my table. These interns are also looking for jobs. Some are accountants, so they can easily replace you, so let’s do our job,” he said. “I am not the controlling officer, he [Kangwa] is. I provide policy and it’s policy of the government that whoever is working should be paid. We don’t want to get back to PF days where council workers were being kept for 17 months without pay.”
Nkandu also warned the officials to discard the PF “software” of not promptly paying workers.
“If you have no money that’s another case but when you have the money, why shouldn’t you pay? Our interns, the one week I have given I believe all should be paid without problems. Like I have said, if they don’t, please come back,” said Nkandu. “As you join the mainstream employment bracket, please don’t change this attitude you have shown us as interns of working hard. That is why we need to appreciate you, because when you go in these health posts, clinic, the people that are working are interns and volunteers. We have noted that those that have been employed by the government do relax, so I don’t want you to act the same when you get that job.”
On January 4, 2023, the ministry released an advert in the Times of Zambia on the (IVAG) programme, inviting applications from youths in all the 10 provinces of the country.
And on February 6, 2023, a committee began the selection process of successful applicants for the programme and a total number of 2,000 youths were shortlisted.
On June 7, 2023, the ministry released the names of the 2,000 successful applicants in various print media.
In July of the same year, the ministry held an induction programme for the shortlisted candidates in the respective provincial centres.
Credit:The Mast