Ministers disagree on labour relations

The Daily Mail reports that at the end of a three day tour of the Copperbelt Minister of Labour and Social Security, Ronald Mukuma has slammed mining companies for their approach to labout relations. The Mininster claimed some mining firms on the Copperbelt want unions to be abolished because they are indifferent to collective bargaining.

The Minister said while some of the mines had adhered to the labour laws, the problems of casualisation and poor pay were still common. Mr Mukuma said he expected companies to listen to the needs of workers while the workers were also duty-bound to appreciate the constraints of management regarding improved salaries and conditions of service.He said it did not please Government that workers quickly resorted to riots to air their grievances without exhausting the available procedures of collective bargaining.“Strikes are not good to the employer and indeed for the nation…so, let us strictly adhere to the principle of dialoguing; and I put this responsibility on the shoulders of the union representatives to educate our workers on the need for dialogue,” he said.

He said employers should not have a negative attitude towards workers because that only strained the relationship at the work place. Government wanted workers and management to maintain industrial harmony and to ensure that the working environment was conducive for production. The minister noted with disappointment the high number of illegal strikes on the mines.

I am glad this issue remains on the political agenda, but it seems a shame then he didn't mention the need for reform to the Labour legislation itself. As theis blog has repeatedly noted, the high number of illegal strikes on the Copperbelt relates rather closely to the fact that it's almost impossible to strike legally!

On the other hand, The Post reports that Copperbelt minister Mwansa Mbulakulima has told a human resourcses managers conference that ill-trained unionists are a menace to industrial peace! On the other hand, Kaputa said human resource had to take a lead in driving institutional and organisation performance by not only formulating policies and strategies that helped organisation attract, motivate, develop and retain the desired human capital, but also tailor talent management strategies that helped employers become sensitive to vices like casualisation of labour.

The Government seems split. So long as there are senior officials around who understand the labour crisis so badly they assume it results from uppity union officials, not from massive popular anger at poverty wages and casualisation, what hope of progress?