By ROGERS KALERO
THE Collective Agreement of the 2022/2023 for the workers at Occupation Health and Safety Institute (OHSI) has not been implemented despite concluding the negotiations because the newly-introduced Emolument Commission has not communicated to signal for approval or disapprove the outcome of the negotiations.
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The Emolument Commission came into operation following an act of Parliament number 1 of 2022 and within a short time of being in operation it has become unpopular among civil servants with some of them calling for President Hakainde Hichilema to scrap off it off or have it re-looked into.
Civil Servant and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) chairperson for Occupation Health and Safety Institute (OHSI) in Lusaka and Kitwe branches Poster Jumbe said it was not only sad, but also disappointing that the newly-introduced Emolument Commission had become an enemy of the poorly remunerated workers.
In an interview in Kitwe, Mr Jumbe said the Emolument Commission was a bad law, which needed to be re-looked at in order to maintain the importance and relevance of collective bargaining and industrial harmony.
Mr Jumbe said the Emolument Commission was a bad law, not only, because it was not specific on when it shall approve or disapprove the collective agreement, but because it was also taking powers of proper negotiations and collective bargaining.
He was appealing to the government, relevant authorities and the labour movement to work on the Emolument Commission Act number 1 of 2022 which was defeating the purpose of collective bargaining by getting powers of the ministry of labour in line with the labour relations act Cap 269 of the laws of Zambia which gives free negotiations by the employer and the union.
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