THE LABOUR COMMISSIONER MUST DEREGISTER BETUZ
I sincerely condemn the Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia, BETUZ, for holding a meeting with the opposition Socialist Party, as disclosed by President Hakainde Hichilema yesterday.
It is disappointing for a Union of teachers to start portraying political affiliations when they are supposed to work with the government of the day.
Personally, I have observed that BETUZ wants to sabotage the work of the government by working with the opposition.
I really wonder why BETUZ can be holding private meetings with the socialist party which does not support the UPND.
This government has recruited more than 30,000 teachers and increased their salaries so I don’t understand what BETUZ is looking for from the socialist party.
Unions such as BETUZ are made up of members, and if leaders decide to hold dark corner meetings with the opposition without the knowledge of their members, then they are up to no good.
I urge all the teachers to withdraw their contribution from BETUZ for breach of trust.
I also want to take this opportunity to caution the teachers who will remain in BETUZ that they risk being used by their leaders for political ambitions.
Lastly, I am calling upon the Registrar of Societies to deregister BETUZ because it has become like a political party.
ISSUED BY
MR JAMES ZULU A
GOOD GOVERNANCE ACTIVIST FROM CENTRAL PROVINCE
Unions are free to interact with Opposition Political parties, to know their policies and what alternatives they can provide.
There’s nothing wrong.
Policies in education don’t begin and end with recruitment of Teachers.
May be the Socialist Party has solutions on the debt burden Teachers face, where they are always moving with pay slips from one financial institution to another.
Or it could that a Socialist government will pay Teachers what the government owes them.
Or they will have a relook on the Free Education program.
There’s nothing wrong with BETUZ meeting the Socialist Party.