NDC national youth chairperson Charles Kabwita has called on miners to pass a vote of no confidence in compromised trade union leaders, charging that the selfish unionists are busy enriching themselves instead of protecting workers’ interests.

In a statement issued, Tuesday, Kabwita urged miners across the country to rise against the “incompetent and ineffective” trade union leaders.

He added that miners should call for fresh elections so that honest and credible persons were elected into office.

“As National Democratic Congress, we are urging miners in the country to rise against incompetent and ineffective trade union leaders. Miners should call for fresh elections so that honest and credible persons are elected into office. Most of the current crop of unionists, particularly in the extractive sector, are compromised,” Kabwita observed.

He pledged that if miners failed to remove selfish leaders from office, the NDC stood ready to assist them.

“They have failed to ably represent miners because they do business with the mines! We urge these known union leaders to either stop doing business with the mines or resign from their offices completely. If miners fail to remove these selfish leaders from office, we, as NDC, are ready to assist them. It’s sad that miners are living like sardines in their own country! Miners are getting slave wages because their freedom has been auctioned by selfish individuals,” Kabwita stated.

He observed that the NDC failed to understand why union leaders had remained mute over miners’ poor working conditions.

“We fail to understand why, for instance, the current crop of union leaders have remained mute over the poor working conditions for miners. The allegiance of most labour leaders is not to the workers, but to the foreign mining conglomerates. Because of this, miners have been given a raw deal by their elected representatives. As NDC, we are urging miners to eject such office bearers from mine unions,” Kabwita urged.

He called on all miners to pass a vote of no confidence in union leaders, charging that the selfish unionists were busy enriching themselves instead of protecting workers’ interests.

“We are, thus, calling on all miners countrywide to pass a vote of no confidence in these compromised unionists! We know these union leaders, and we urge them to vacate union positions forthwith on their own volition. It is unacceptable that hundreds of youths on the Copperbelt will soon be jobless because Mopani Copper Mines plans to close two of its shafts in Kitwe. The Copperbelt will soon become a ghost town because of poor union representation,” stated Kabwita.

“Instead of protecting and championing workers’ interests, these selfish union leaders are busy enriching themselves! These selfish union leaders should be removed from office now and not before their respective general conferences.”