By KALOBWE BWALYA
The elimination of corruption will ensure cost reduction in contracts awarded to build more houses and classrooms to ease the overcrowding created by free education, President Hakainde Hichilema has said.
The President said removing abuse in the award of contracts will be a priority. He revealed that in the past, a three bedroomed house which should have cost K300,000 to build, was being billed at K1.5 million.
He also assured the nation that government will make it possible for workers to access part of their pension before they leave work, as part of keeping its campaign promises.
Mr Hichilema said there was need for government to work closely with ZCTU in order to find solutions that the workers in Zambia were facing.
President Hichilema said working in isolation would have negative results and hence the need for the two stakeholders like employers and union representatives to work in unison.
He said a healthy work force was a productive workforce and that government would work to ensure that the individuals were in good health in order to enhance productivity.
President Hichilema said that government was working towards coming up with measures that would revamp the economy so that more jobs were created.
“Government is committed to ensuring social protection and that this can be exhibited by the increase of social cash transfer to mitigate the high cost of living,” he said.
And the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions President Chishimba Nkole has said GOVERNMENT should address the high cost of living that the country is facing at the moment in order to enhance productivity.
Mr Nkole during the labour celebrations held in Lusaka yesterday said that there was need for the government to address the high cost of living among Zambians as it affected productivity among people in the labour workforce and the general citizenry.
