By Aaron Chansa (A personal piece)
INTRODUCTION
Between 1972 and 1990,during the dreaded UNIP one Party rule, only the labour movement,the Church and Students spoke for the Zambian people.Trade Unions remained steadfast and fearless as watch- dogs of the interests of their members and interests of all Zambians.Today,the story is totally different.
HISTORY OF TRADE UNIONISM AND THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN ZAMBIA
By whatever measure, Copperbelt miners played critical roles in the introduction of African trade unionism in Northern Rhodesia,the nation we now call Zambia.The first Union by Africans started on the Copperbelt in 1949.It was called African Mine Workers Union( UMU) and its leader was Lawrence katilungu.History insists that Katilungu had exceptional leadership qualities , superior organizational abilities and unique negotiating skills.Despite his very humble educational background, Lawrence Katilungu had tremendous self – confidence and tantalising charisma.This made it easy for him to mobilise and make the AMU( now Mine Workers Union of Zambia-MUZ) very powerful.Whenever Katilungu spoke,we are told,the whole government shook.
In 1950,AMU and other Unions federated to form the Trade Union Congress(TUC).As expected,Katilungu was elected president of TUZ.As President of TUZ, Katilungu smartly guarded the independence of the labour movement from politics.This too,I must specially note,was one of his achievements as a Union leader .
After ZAMBIA got independence on 24th October,1964,the UNIP Government supported formation of one umbrella body for all trade Unions in Zambia.Through an Act of Parliament of 1965,the Zambia Congress of trade Unions (ZCTU) was born.The birth of ZCTU cemented the vital space of the labour movement in a brand new country ; a country that had no idea of where it was heading in terms of politics and industrial relations.
In 1975,after the ZCTU scathingly attacked UNIP policies and programs,KK forcefully reminded union leaders that the UNIP party was more supreme than any institution in the country.This reaction from Kaunda shocked all Unions and workers in Zambia.I must admit that I am also not sure what the President meant in warning the labour movement.Very shocking warning indeed.Dont forget that at this time ,it was ,,”Party and Its Government( PIG)” syndrome.Kaunda and UNIP were almighty.
F.T.J AS LEADER OF THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN ZAMBIA
In 1974, Frederick Jacob Titus Mpundu Chiluba was elected as ZCTU Chairman General ( President now), against a very powerful MUZ president,David Mwila.Analysts of trade unionism in Zambia have revealed that the prime sponsors of Chiluba,s candidature for ZCTU presidency were Newstead Zimba and Chitalu Sampa.Before bagging the ZCTU presidency,Chiluba had been President of National Union of Building Engineers and General Workers( NUBEGW).As president of ZCTU,Chiluba displayed rare courage ,charisma and eloquence that saw him become a national spokesman for Zambian workers and a national hero.This heroism ,as fate would have,helped him to become Zambian,s Second President.
In 1981,miners on the Copperbelt went on vicious strikes and this forced KK to ban strikes in the country.Chiluba and Zimba were arrested and detained for three months without trial.Later, Chiluba was invited to accept a very lucrative Government job but he refused.He chose to remain ZCTU President until he was overwhelmingly voted as Republican President in 1991.
TRADE UNIONISM AND THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN ZAMBIA AFTER 1991
Until 1993,ZCTU was the sole umbrella organization of all trade Unions in Zambia.The law was then changed to allow for Unions to form as many federations as possible.Zambia ratified ILO convention no.87,guaranteeing Zambian employees the right to form or join a Union of choice.This gave birth to the Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia ( FFTUZ).The formation of FFTUZ,I recall, brought untold divisions and disunity within the labour movement in our Country.There was a clear tug of war between the ZCTU and the FFTUZ.At one time ,ZCTU supported the breaking away of SESTUZ and the Technical and Trades Lecturers Union(TTLU) from ZNUT.In a similar fashion ,the Bankers Union of Zambia and the Zambia Revenue Workers Union were splinter Unions from Zambia United Financial and Allied Workers Union ( ZUFIAWU).Some of use expected more damage in the labour movement,owing to the spirit of liberalism that had set base in the labour movement.
Even when the labour movement was getting weaker because of splinting and massive divisions,the country still boasted of some great Unionists such as Leonard Hikaumba,Joyce Nonde,Japhet Monde,Yotam Mtayachalo and Roy Mwaba.I vividly remember how Hikaumba and Madam Nonde fearlessly spoke for Zambian workers .At one time ,during labour day,Mr Hikaumba,then ZCTU President, openly differed with Republican President, Levy Mwanawasa over labour issues .That time,one would say that Wokers in Zambia had some hope for better conditions of work because of a fearless labour movement.
Many years later,Zambia saw the formation of dozens of Unions and another federation called Congress of Trade Unions in Zambia( COTUZ).We have seen many Unions breaking away from mainstream Unions while others have disaffiliated from the ZCTU.Infighting in Unions,deep rooted divisions and very weak alliances have characterised the labour movement in Zambia ,in recent years.
The mushroom of splinter Unions after 1990 has brought many difficulties in the way these organizations are operating.Today,many Zambians have given up on trade Unions.Zambians are saying that union leaders have stopped representing interests of members but are representing individual interests.Personally,I totally agree with millions of Zambians who are saying the labour movement in Zambia is dead.
On 24th December,2018,then Labour Commissioner,Chanda Kaziya,revealed that Union leaders were living lavishly ,and that most Trade Unions were not representing their members.Mr Kaziya stressed that there was no justification in Union leaders getting 1000% more money than the workers they were representing.He gave an example of one Union leader who was earning more than K51,000 per month.The former Labour was very correct ,and I think that this kind of abuse must be arrested now and not tomorrow.
CONCLUSION
My honest view is that when you have a poralised and divided labour movement in a country as poor as Zambia ,then industrial disharmony sets in.You are courting trouble for the workers.You are warmly inviting the state to take advantage of the situation and run with all the privileges of being the “big guy” in industrial relations.The good news is that the law allows workers in Zambia to resign from their Unions if they are not happy with their organization.And since the labour movement in Zambia is dead,by all standards ,members of Unions must use their right to leave the unions and use the saved money to buy other important items.
The views expressed in the article above are personal and do not represent any organization.
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