IT’S YOU WHO SHOULD SHUT UP AND ORGANISE YOUR PARTY, ZCTU TELLS PF

IT’S YOU WHO SHOULD SHUT UP AND ORGANISE YOUR PARTY, ZCTU TELLS PF

ZAMBIA Congress of Trade Unions President Blake Mulala says the PF are the ones who should “shut up” and organise their party, which he claims is failing to provide checks and balances to government.

Mulala says unlike the PF’s Bill 10, the UPND’s Bill 7 respects the rights of workers.

Shiwang’andu PF MP Stephen Kampyongo recently advised Mulala to “shut up” and focus on the plight of workers instead of focusing on politics. This was after Mulala urged MPs to vote for Bill 7, warning that workers would deal with them if they failed to do so.

But responding to that in an interview, Sunday, Mulala said workers could not be left out of governance issues.

“That’s a moral decay coming from an MP. If a member of parliament, in a stretch of thinking, believes that he can shut up the labour movement, remind them of the role which the labour movement has played from its inception. And we are alive to those values even to date, they have not died. What has changed at Congress is a different leadership. You cannot take away workers from governance issues. That’s not possible. And in our democracy, we must respect other people’s views. If there are people to shut up, it’s themselves. Let them shut up and organise their party, which seems to be not providing checks and balances to government. That’s how democracy is strengthened,” Mulala said.

“During the time of Kampyongo, if you look at the Kabwe Municipal Council, there were times when workers went six months without getting their salaries. And when the workers protested to claim their rightful dues, he unleashed PF cadres to maim the workers, and he was quiet. If we had the issues, we could have called Congress. Don’t force us to believe in what you believe. Assuming we supported them, if we made a stand to oppose the Bill, were they going to speak today?”

He wondered why the PF could not instead advise the Church to desist from preaching divisive sermons from the pulpit.

“When they are saying, no, workers don’t talk about these issues, why haven’t they questioned the church who are preaching on their pulpits about political sermons? Why have they remained quiet? Double standards. We, as Congress, have a position to make, and when we make our position, we are not shaken, and we don’t invite other people to agree with us. Those who have disagreed, we respect them, but we are looking at the future, where youth, the people with disabilities, the young ones also, will take centre stage in our Parliament. This is the future we want to build, not a future of madalas [old people] in Parliament. We also advocated, to say, look, we need the labour movement, on those slots also, they must be put there. This is the message. So when we make a stance, it’s driven by our own consultation,” Mulala said.8

“We saw the church speaking, their fathers and their churches who were even dividing the country. So it’s good for the church to speak about… We want to urge them also if they are morally right to speak to those priests in the churches who are preaching [and] dividing our country, that concentrate on the word of God. Don’t concentrate on this. So if he’s telling us to concentrate on the workers, don’t speak on this, let them also go to church. But they can’t do that. The reason is simple. They know why they can’t do it. Just like the way Jesus told the Pharisees of that time when he entered into the city of Jerusalem, they said, ‘you are making noise,’ he told them, ‘if you make me stop then the stones will make noise.’ And he reminded them, if you want to dare the congress spokesperson, say ‘shut up,’ the workers will rise to the occasion, and they won’t manage the situation”.

Mulala said many people were supporting Bill 7, saying a few individuals should not make it seem otherwise.

“The stories circulating on social media, I think the people who are supporting it are many, and a few people should not create an environment that this is a Bill which has been rejected like Bill 10. Bill 10 was taking away the rights of the workers, and when we look at this Bill 7, the rights of workers are respected, and it has brought more enhancements. We haven’t agreed to all of them, we have all stated our position. I don’t want to go into conflict with them. They shouldn’t invite us because we can also take on them. It’s not a wrong issue, this is a governance issue,” he said.

“The constitution is a governance issue. ZCTU from its inception has participated in governance issues. Every step, look at the third term attempt for Chiluba. What happened? Look at the change of government from the UNIP era to the multi-party regime. Who came there? It was the labour movement. Where was the opposition? So these are not wrong issues. These are not political issues. Our institution deals with political matters because the policy issues which are pronounced by government affect the members we represent”.

He insisted that the congress would not keep quiet as the Constitution was a national document.

“So we are not going to keep quiet as Congress. The Constitution is a national document. Saying like that is mischievous and a little bit of… I don’t know whether their history can make them understand ‘what are the roles of ZCTU.’ Is it only clothed to speak to only workers? The whole affiliates, what we speak… I am the voice of the workers. If you make me say shut up, then it is shutting the workers. And when the workers are going to be shut by one MP, I think they are treading on a dangerous path,” said Mulala.

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