…vows the union will never pander to the whims or caprices of political parties because it has been a representative of the workers’ interests and aspirations since 1948
THE Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) shall never allow itself to be a politically sponsored organisation because it has always represented the interests of workers and would never pander to the whims of a ruling party or any political formation, Joseph Chewe has said.
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”4,5,6″ ihc_mb_template=”2″ ]
Mr Chewe, the MUZ president says the miners’ union, which was founded in 1948 had always served the interests of workers and that Government should not inertly characterise it to being aligned to the opposition or ruling party.
Mr Chewe, who on Tuesday was involved in a scuffle with five small mine unions that included Miners and Allied Workers Union (MAWU) led by Kelvin Namunji, has warned against workers unions selling themselves to politicians who often come and go at the expense of the workers they were supposed to represent.
“MUZ was founded on a strong principle of serving and representing the mine workers interests in 1948 and shall continue to exist even as it is undergoing obstacles.”
“Let me put it clear that there shall be no MUZ for the party in government or the opposition. MUZ shall remain a union for the workers and as it has ever been in history, workers always win and that is what MUZ stands for. It is not for the ruling party nor for the opposition but workers,” Mr Chewe said.
Mr Chewe said this following tensions and anxieties that have griped the miners at Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mine (MCM) following the return of Vedanta Resources and International Resources Holding Limited.
He said it did not matter who was at the helm of MUZ as long as that leader shall always share the interests and aspirations of the workers.
He said MUZ was not about himself and that even if he was going to be removed as a leader of the union, there shall be yet another leader whose mandate would remain that of serving the interests of the workers.
“I am the 14th MUZ president since its formation in 1948 and certainly there shall be the 15th whose mandate will not be different from the past 14 presidents. Leaders come and go…political parties come into government and leave but the workers shall always be there…they shall always win.
We enjoy solidarity and we are not in competition with any other union because even if people speak ill about our union, the workers themselves are able to see which leadership was leading them to Canaan,” Mr Chewe said.
And Mr Chewe has explained that the near punch-up with other small mine unions was as a result of the unethical conduct of the small unions which were seeking political attention and relevance from the government.
He explained that MUZ could not invite the other five mine unions to State House when the said unions had not been invited to be part of the meeting with President Hakainde Hichilema.
“If MUZ is invited to State House, how could we invite other unions who had not been invited? You cannot invite another person to a function where you only have been invited. Some of these unions should be wary of politicians looking for unions to buy or sponsor.”
“As MUZ, we work with the government of the day and we shall not pander to the whims or caprices of the ruling party. Our relationship with Paul Kabuswe, the Minister of Mines and Minerals Development is a working relationship.
We will not have personal relationship with government or government officials because we represent workers’ rights. If you have a press briefing, you do not use it to disparage leaders of other unions,” Mr Chewe said.
[/ihc-hide-content]
