JULY 18, 2022.

The General Secretary of the Zambia Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW) Mr. Kasapo Sundrea Kabende has applauded the new dawn government for honouring their promise to create jobs. This follows the CONFIRMATION and subsequent publication of the 30, 496 teachers who will be deployed in all the 10 provinces of the country.

“As a Union we are happy that government as employer number one has created jobs for the men and women in the teaching service. This development will improve the teacher to pupil ratio which has been an issue from the time government introduced free education” Mr. Kabende said

Mr. Kabende also observed that the recruitment of teachers will improve the quality of education and relieve stress for the teachers. He has appealed to government to embark on the construction of schools and desks using local contractors in line with the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) policy and guidelines. This will further create jobs and empower Zambians especially women and youths in many parts of the country. He has encouraged government to continue creating an enabling environment that will allow for job creation in the private sector.

“As a financial sector union, we are opportunistic this move by government will boost business in the financial sector particularly the banks, micro finance and insurance companies considering the recruited teachers will need bank accounts, loans, salary advances, life assurance and other facilities. He observed.

He further challenged the newly recruited teachers to quickly report to their respective stations when posted and ensure they perform beyond expectations, in order to help improve the quality of education in the country.

Mr. Kabende noted that there was still a large number of unemployed citizens in other sectors who should be considered in subsequent recruitment exercises. “The recruitment of these teachers is a step in the right direction in terms of reducing the unemployment levels in the country, however we need to do more, given that the unemployment rate of the total labour force is about 13%, with the majority of this proportion being youths.” He said. 

Mr Kabende stated that ZUFIAW will continue to support and partner with the government to advocate for decent jobs and decent pay. He has assured the members that the enactment of the Emoluments Act will not over shadow the bargaining process as guided in Part VIII of the Industrial and Labour Relations Act Cap 269. He further highlighted the need to protect the jobs in the financial sector which have been threatened by the Covid pandemic and the digitalization agendas.

Issued by

KASAPO SUNDREA KABENDE

GENERAL SECRETARY