The organizations public campaign for the democratization of zambian politics, initiated in december 1989, culminated in the electoral defeat of the united national independence party unip at the multiparty polls of october 1991. Zambia congress of trade unions zctu publish what you pay. Our concern has been that our party mmd has failed to deliver and that is why. The genesis of trade unionism in zambia dates back to the time of the start of mining on the. It was formed by an act of parliament in 1965 and has 33 affiliate unions representing over 400 000 workers. These funds are controlled by the union leaderships.
So come down with me in my leyland as we chronicle the hurly burly history of unionism in zambia. Jan 31, 2020 the indigenous huntergatherer occupants of zambia began to be displaced or absorbed by more advanced migrating tribes about 2,000 years ago. Zambia congress of trade unions was established in 1965 through an act of parliament, until 1993, the zctu was the sole umbrella organisation of trade unions in the country. Collective bargaining and labour disputes resolution is. Zctu has been running programmes on extractive industries and corporate social responsibility, especially sponsored by the netherlands institute for southern africa niza. In 1911 these were united to form northern rhodesia, with its capital at livingstone, near victoria falls. Zambia congress of trade union reacts to threats by. Pdf trade union effectiveness in zambia harrison kaunda. To understand the state of zambian unions today, a brief history of the zambian labour movement is useful. This is a big challenge for trade unions in their pursuit to. Workers should persuade their employers to form trade unions. An analysis of union influence in zambias public sector. Industrial relations in zambia to 1975 springerlink. Institute for african studies, university of zambia institute for african studies volume of communication university of zambia.
History of trade unionism in zambia zambia daily mail. The colonial labour regime cemented and reproduced a strong reserve army of cheap black labour necessary for. In zambia, it appears a law that allows a trade or a sector to have more than one union has contributed to divide and rule approach in trade unionism. In the one party era, the trade unions through their only central organization, the zambia congress of trade unions had close affinity with the party, unip and participated in the various activities of the party such as the general confer ence and national council where party and. The establishment of the copper mines was followed by collective action and organisation by african workers. This analysis of zambia s first decade of political and economic liberalisation addresses these questions. Churches took the initiative of establishing their own. The zctu was created by the government to replace the former united trade union congress. Firstly, the trade union movement in zimbabwe is paralysed.
It will also highlight other functions of trade unions that aim towards benefitting both organization and employees. The zctu is a very powerful organization and by withdrawing its support from the unip in 1990, it almost assured the mmds electoral success in 1991. As a result, for the most part, they have lost organic contact with union rankandfile members. Political and economic liberalisation in zambia 19912001. Among a population of perhaps one million, there were about 1,500 white residents. Objectives, function, formation, regulation, rights and liabilities.
A trade union is a group of working people who have joined together to achieve better pay and working conditions and a safer working environment. The major waves of bantuspeaking immigrants began in the 15th century, with the greatest influx between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. History indicates that a number of trade union leaders have entered. Where the public service is concerned for most of the countries, the legislation has many grey areas that raise questions as to the governments commitment and sincerity in extending. The years between 1989 and 1991 may be regarded as the period during which the zambia congress of trade unions zctu reached the height of its perceived influence in zambian politics. Challenges facing trade unions in the modern society the. In zambia, the trade unions spearheaded an opposition movement, the movement for multiparty democracy mmd, whose leader the. Trade unions and democracy in zambia democracy in africa. Trade union right to access the workplace to recruit have meetings, holding elections votingballots deduction of union dues in writing employer authorised to deduct union dues in form of levies subscriptions trade union representatives where an employer employees 10 or more members of majority tu, members may elect. Zambia s trade unions are obliged to join the highly centralized zambia congress of trade unions zctu. The six union federations were soon merged into the zimbabwe congress of trade unions zctu in 1981. Trade union services and benefits in africa edited by. Times of zambia role of trade unions in work places.
It also seeks to examine the relationship between trade. Therefore, the history of the british trade union movement is unfolded as unions emerged here first. Zambia congress of trade unions phone and map of address. Until 1993, the zctu was the sole umbrella organisation of trade unions in the country. Appropriate industrial relations legislation should recognize the requirements of both employers and employees. Trade unions, development, and democratization in zambia. Unip politicians, elite sections of the population, trade union leaders and even religious factions.
The state appeared to be socially responsible in conditions where workers unions were weak, capital stronger though with no skills in modern industrial relations. The zambia decent work country programme dwcp was officially launched in may 2007. Unions have a wider social role beyond simply the workplace and are essential to the functioning of a healthy democracy. Secretarygeneral, zambia congress of trade unions 2004. Zacci zambia association of chambers of commerce and industry zam zambia association of manufacturers zap zambia alliance for progress zccm zambia consolidated copper mines zcf zambia cooperative federation zctu zambia congress of trade unions zdc zambia democratic congress zfe zambia federation of employers. Historicaltrajectoryofpublicsectorunionsinzambiasthirdrepublic. The extent and effects of casualisation in southern africa.
Trade unions and government of the day should take issues relating to workers wages and monthly salaries seriously as such have short and longterm socioeconomic effects both on individual workers and national development process as a whole. The origin and development of trade union movements, historical development of trade unions in india, growth of employees and employers organizations, aims and objectives of trade unions, definition of trade union and trade disputes, recognition of trade unions are discussed in this chapter. Political and economic liberalisation in zambia 19912001 lise rakner the nordic africa institute, 2003. In the absence of strong collective bargaining systems, the wages and conditions of black labour, as distinct from those of the white labour aristocracy, were very poor. According to fes, 20, unions such as mine workers union of zambiawere among the key trade unions. According to the splinter group constituting the federation of free trade unions in zambia fftuz rampant malpractices and lack of seriousness characterised the manner in which business was conducted at the congress. Indeed, by 1987 the african labour movement, the form of in the congress of south african trade unions cosatu, was the single most powerful organised formation in the antiapartheid struggle in south africa3. Find trade union expertise in zambia there are about 25 unions in zambia and the two main groupings are zambia congress of trade unions zctu and federation of free trade unions in zambia fftuz. Background to trade unionism in malawi the history of trade unionism in malawi goes back as far as 1945 prior to the end of second world war when the first trade union. Several efforts have been devoted to examining african labour history from different angles and persuasions. This week i will look at tidbits of the history of trade unionism in zambia, starting with the colonial period. Theories relating to introduction of trade unions, history of trade unions in.
Historicaltrajectoryofpublicsectorunionsin zambia sthirdrepublic. Since the 1990s ngos and other funders have plied funds into trade unions. The dwcp was spearheaded by ilo with involvement of tripartite partners namely the ministry of labour and social security mlss, zambia federation of employers zfe, zambia congress of trade unions zctu and the federation of free trade unions in zambia fftuz. The vision of the zambia congress of trade unions zctu is founded on its firm belief that trade unions are indispensable partners in the industrial relations involving gove ment, employers and labour and that the process of development culminates into equitable distribution of wealth among stakeholders. Trade union is any group or organisation of employees registered as a trade union under the industrial and labour relation act whose principal objectives are the representation and promotion of interests of the employees and regulation of relations between employees and employers. The zambia congress of trade union has said it has taken great exception to the statement purpoted to have been released by the national union of metalworkers of south africa numsa in which it. Comparisons with lesotho dave cooper roger southalls article on trade unions in lesotho in the recent issue of salb is most welcome. Transport and general workers union, then called magalimoto 2. Zambia has been shaped by a history of authoritarian traditions, first during the colonial. Muz is one of the largest trade unions in zambia and africa comprising approximately 23, 000 members scattered across 36 branches bates, 1972. The zambian trade union movement is among the strengest and most. The power of capital to willynilly hire and fire were curbed as these became vested in the state.
University of zambia, institute for african studies, 1977 labor unions 59 pages. The indigenous huntergatherer occupants of zambia began to be displaced or absorbed by more advanced migrating tribes about 2,000 years ago. According to fes, 20, unions such as mine workers union of zambiawere among the key trade unions andspoke with a strong voice. Role of government in industrial relation essay 324 words. Industrial relations industrial relations essay the role of the government on industrial relations is very important as it sets the legal framework that industrial relations operates in. Quoted in richard jacobs, the relationship between african trade unions and political organisations in northern rhodesiazambia 194961 geneva. The reason why the trade unions were chosen as a focus of the research are numerous. At first the bsac administered its territory north of the zambezi in two parts, northeastern and northwestern rhodesia. It was argued that having more than one trade union in a sector facilitates effective understanding of issues affecting specific workers in that sector. Whether temporary or permanent, primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workers and employers or between workers for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and includes the federations of two or more trade unions. Labour in african history trends and organisational forms. This happened especially in francophone africa, but later also in the lusophone countries of angola and mozambique. Currently, the zctu represents thirty three 33 affiliated national unions, operating in various sectors of the economy. Therefore, i urge a broadly based historical approach to the political economy of zambia for understanding relations between state and trade unions in that.
Jamaicans all over the island went about their daily routines, but that sunday was special because in many ways it marked the dawning of jamaicas two main political parties. The history of trade unions in tanzania can be traced in 1920s with the formation of welfare societies or social clubs. A history of the trade union movement in zambia up to 1968. This study aims at finding out the effect of trade unionism on workers. The industrial and labour relations act arrangement of sections part i preliminary section 1. It is the purpose of this chapter to consider the historical development of trade union law and practice in zambia in so far as they have a bearing on the present day trade union status. Where the public service is concerned for most of the countries, the legislation has many grey areas that raise questions as to the governments commitment and sincerity in extending bargaining and dispute settlement rights to public servants. List of best unions in zambia, top unions in zambia, unions near me, best unions. Frederick chiluba was chairmangeneral of zctu 19741991. Africa, we can say that part of our history points to the importance played by organisations of workers in the fall of apartheid. May 16, 2012 amidst the recent democratic crisis following the announcement that the patriotic front government intends to deregister the main opposition party the movement for multiparty democracy few commentators have pickedup on the growing tension between new president michael sata and zambias trade unions. Fes has a long history of cooperation with zambian unions and therefore acted as a dooropener in this sensitive field, while gtz and ded since long promote. Zctu zambia congress of trade unions zdc zambia democratic congress. Analysis of lesotho, mozambique, south africa, swaziland, zambia and zimbabwe research report for the danish federation of workers.
These two federations at times unite to strengthen the workers sociopolitical representation and the labour union movement on the whole. The presence of archaic humans in zambia at least 200,000 years ago was shown by the discovery of the broken hill skull in kabwe in 1921 this was the first human fossil ever discovered in africa the earliest known modern humans to live in the territory of modernday zambia. The genesis of trade unionism in zambia dates back to the time of the start of mining on the copperbelt after huge deposits of copper were discovered in the region in the 1920s leading to commercial mining. However, the extent to which democratisation and economic reform has been achieved has been strongly conditioned, on the one hand, by the weaknesses and.
Currently the zctu represents about thirtysix 36 affiliated national unions operating in. Angola 72 early angola 72 the kongo kingdom and the coming of the portuguese 73 colonial transition 1820s1910 73 lunda empire 74. Also, in this part both german trade unions and american labour movement are discussed briefly, as this gives us the ability to compare and contrast, hence, get a. Pdf trade unions, development, and democratization in zambia. In the one party era, the trade unions through their only central organization, the zambia congress of trade unions had close affinity with the party, unip and participated in the various activities of the party such as the general confer ence and national council where party and government policies were mooted.
Download book pdf trade unions and the coming of democracy in africa pp 123156 cite as. Find trade union expertise in zambia commonwealth of nations. Trade unionism and freedom of association in tanzania. Workers struggles in zimbabwe one such case is that of zimbabwe, which forms the focus of this article. Historical trajectory of public sector unions in zambias third republic. At that period, african civil servants had organized themselves into the tanganyika african civil service association tsga in 1922, which later became the tanganyika african association taa in 1929. The zambia congress of trade unions zctu was established in 1965 through an act of parliament.
The major waves of bantuspeaking immigrants began in the 15th century, with the greatest influx. It also seeks to examine the relationship between trade unionism and the actions of management. Trade unions and the informal economy in zambia epub bayreuth. Most have focused on the representatives of labour, trade unions in specific. Any organization or group of workers established to achieve one or more of the objectives stated in trade union act is considered to have formed a trade union and therefore must conform to all. This southern african country of 12 million people has been rocked by strike action throughout the1990s. Zctu is the largest of the two federations in zambia. Zctus relationship with the regime was paternalistic in nature, with zanu claiming to protect workers and their rights, instituting a minimum wage and employment protections alexander 2001. Firstly, trade unions usually function as significant collective interest groups whose role is fundamental to the reproduction of the economy. The zambian trade union movement emerged before independence and. The organizations public campaign for the democratization of zambian politics, initiated in december 1989, culminated in the electoral defeat of the united national independence party unip at the multiparty polls of. The history of jamaica the founding of bitu and the jlp. Trade union in zambia role of workers union, labour.