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Group rejects proposed teacher federation, urges action on regulation of unions

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The Movement for Restoration of Education and Teacher’s Affairs in Zambia (MORETA) has rejected a proposal by teacher unions to form a federation that would represent their interests.

MORETA Executive Director, Dr. Samuel Mbumba, said the formation of a federation was not the solution to the long-standing challenges faced by teachers in Zambia.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Saturday, Mbumba accused the government of turning a blind eye to the confusion among teachers, who he claimed were abandoning classrooms to form unions as a means of survival.

He argued that teacher unions should set aside their personal interests and collectively pressure the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to enact a Statutory Instrument (SI) that had already been drafted to regulate union activities.

“This would help address the unchecked proliferation of teacher unions,” Mbumba said.

He said: “The divide-and-rule strategy in the labour movement is outdated in the 21st century.”

Mbumba added that unions had lost impact on the ground and had instead contributed to what he described as the “torment and suffocation” of teachers through illegal deductions from their payslips.

Read More: Group demands accountability in ministry of education’s M-SAT scam

He urged the government to intervene and address what he called an unhealthy situation in the education sector.

“In October 2024, we petitioned the Speaker of the National Assembly and proposed that Article 21 of the Constitution be amended to tighten conditions for forming unions,” he said, expressing disappointment that the petition had not received a positive response.

He noted that this was the same clause Parliament had amended in 2016 to adjust conditions for the formation of political parties.

Article 21 of the Zambian Constitution provides for the freedom of assembly and association, allowing individuals to form political parties, unions, churches, and other organizations.

He said however, Clause 2 of the same article allows for limitations in the interest of state security, public order, public health, and to protect the rights of others.

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