By ALEX NJOVU in Kitwe
THE Professional Teachers’ Union of Zambia (PTUZ) on the Copperbelt has slammed the Basic Teachers’ Union of Zambia (BETUZ), Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) and Secondary Teachers’ Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) for condemning its decision to lock offices belonging to District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS) in Kitwe, Luanshya and Ndola last week.
THE Professional Teachers’ Union of Zambia (PTUZ) on the Copperbelt has slammed the Basic Teachers’ Union of Zambia (BETUZ), Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) and Secondary Teachers’ Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) for condemning its decision to lock offices belonging to District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS) in Kitwe, Luanshya and Ndola last week.
But BETUZ acting national director of organisation Henry Sinkala
accused PTUZ of promoting lawlessness in the education sector and
described the move by the union to lock the DEBS offices as barbaric.
PTUZ provincial secretary Bernard Simwanza said in a statement yesterday in Kitwe that PTUZ will soon expose some illegalities the other three unions have allegedly been doing in the recruitment of teachers.
“One of the violations of the law is that the other three teachers’ unions have secretly been recruiting members without their consent. PTUZ has refused to be part of such illegal schemes, we challenge them to deny this statement,” he said.
Mr Simwanza appealed to the Ministry of Education to urgently harmonise the labour situation on the Copperbelt.
“Thousands of teachers applied to join PTUZ in June but up to now responsible officers are refusing to facilitate their joining. This is despite PTUZ having followed all processes in the law. Instead of telling the truth on what caused the action, we are shocked that our colleagues from BETUZ, ZNUT and SESTUZ chose to side with illegalities, our colleagues want to force us to do things which are not in the labour laws. This is corruption and we will not allow it,” he said.
But Mr Sinkala refuted the claims, saying PTUZ officials were wrong to have locked DEBS offices in Kitwe, Luanshya and Ndola.
“Our colleagues in PTUZ should be condemned in the strongest terms for locking DEBS offices, they are enemies of development.On that day, they denied members of the public access to DEBS offices, they are promoting anarchy and lawlessness in the education sector which is wrong and the Ministry of Education must watch against this union,” he said.
Mr Sinkala said PTUZ does not follow laid down procedures in its recruitment of teachers.
He said it is unfortunate that PTUZ officials have allegedly failed to promote industrial harmony in the education sector.
“PTUZ is a young union, they need to learn how the system operates, they need to learn the rules and guidelines which govern the system instead of causing confusion in the sector. It is barbaric and inhuman to lock offices. The DEBS we have are experienced and know their work very well and they do it professionally, the problem is that our colleagues in PTUZ think that they are more Government than the other three teacher unions,” Mr Sinkala said.
He urged officials in PTUZ to be humble and work towards promoting industrial harmony.
“Being confrontational will not help, we need to use dialogue in resolving problems instead of locking public offices,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from ZNUT and SESTUZ officials failed.
PTUZ provincial secretary Bernard Simwanza said in a statement yesterday in Kitwe that PTUZ will soon expose some illegalities the other three unions have allegedly been doing in the recruitment of teachers.
“One of the violations of the law is that the other three teachers’ unions have secretly been recruiting members without their consent. PTUZ has refused to be part of such illegal schemes, we challenge them to deny this statement,” he said.
Mr Simwanza appealed to the Ministry of Education to urgently harmonise the labour situation on the Copperbelt.
“Thousands of teachers applied to join PTUZ in June but up to now responsible officers are refusing to facilitate their joining. This is despite PTUZ having followed all processes in the law. Instead of telling the truth on what caused the action, we are shocked that our colleagues from BETUZ, ZNUT and SESTUZ chose to side with illegalities, our colleagues want to force us to do things which are not in the labour laws. This is corruption and we will not allow it,” he said.
But Mr Sinkala refuted the claims, saying PTUZ officials were wrong to have locked DEBS offices in Kitwe, Luanshya and Ndola.
“Our colleagues in PTUZ should be condemned in the strongest terms for locking DEBS offices, they are enemies of development.On that day, they denied members of the public access to DEBS offices, they are promoting anarchy and lawlessness in the education sector which is wrong and the Ministry of Education must watch against this union,” he said.
Mr Sinkala said PTUZ does not follow laid down procedures in its recruitment of teachers.
He said it is unfortunate that PTUZ officials have allegedly failed to promote industrial harmony in the education sector.
“PTUZ is a young union, they need to learn how the system operates, they need to learn the rules and guidelines which govern the system instead of causing confusion in the sector. It is barbaric and inhuman to lock offices. The DEBS we have are experienced and know their work very well and they do it professionally, the problem is that our colleagues in PTUZ think that they are more Government than the other three teacher unions,” Mr Sinkala said.
He urged officials in PTUZ to be humble and work towards promoting industrial harmony.
“Being confrontational will not help, we need to use dialogue in resolving problems instead of locking public offices,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from ZNUT and SESTUZ officials failed.
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