FRA must have human face for its workers

Fri, 25 Aug 2017 12:03:02 +0000

Dear Editor,

I write to urge Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to have a human face for its many short term contract employees engaged to buy maize and other farm produce countrywide.

FRA engages the services of depot clerks, buyers and guards countrywide on short term contracts to help them with the purchases of every farm produce during the marketing season.

It is however sad that for close to two months now, these workers have not received their salaries.

As if that is not bad enough, when these workers were engaged they were not given any subsistence or up-keep allowances to make them settle and execute their work diligently

Moreover, these workers were deployed in far flung areas away from their relatives and forced to pay for their accommodation and buy other necessities.

How then does FRA surely think these youths are managing to live decently with this scenario?

While permanent employees are being paid on time, the depot clerks, buyers and guards employed to do the donkey work are still awaiting for their salaries.

Can FRA please show a human face for these suffering contractual employees for God’s sake?

Definitely, this should not call for President Lungu or Patriotic Front government’s indulgence when there is a management at FRA that is supposed to mitigate for its employees’ welfare.

Why does FRA want to dent Government’s name to the general citizenry deliberately?

WISDOM MUYUNDA,

Chingola.