Teachers strike illegal

By ALEX NJOVU

 

SECONDARY School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) Copperbelt chairman Christopher Mpofu has described the strike by teachers in the province as illegal.
Mr Mpofu said in an interview in Lufwanyama that the decision by teachers to go on strike was not made by the provincial executive committee.
“The decision by teachers to go on strike was not made by the provincial executive committee. It was made by the districts.
“In fact, it was the teachers themselves who passed the resolution,” he said.
Mr Mpofu said, however, that the teachers might have opted for a strike because of the long procedure involved in arriving at a legal strike.
“Teachers on the Copperbelt have gone on an illegal strike but the process of establishing a legal strike is too long. We, therefore, appeal to Government to resolve this problem by concluding negotiations,” Mr Mpofu said
He said a meeting would soon be held to chart the way forward.
Civil Servants Allied Workers Union of Zambia president Leonard Hikaumba on Monday appealed to his members who are on strike to resume work.
Some teachers and nurses on the Copperbelt are on strike demanding improved conditions of service.
Mr Hikaumba assured civil servants that negotiations would be concluded soon.
He urged civil servants to refrain from activities that will jeopardise negotiations.