Management and workers at Lukashya Trades Training Institute (LUTTI) in Kasama have signed a collective agreement which has seen workers’ salaries increased by 30 per cent across the board.
The agreement was signed between Lukashya Trades Management
Board and the National Union of Technical Education Lecturers and Allied Workers (NUTELAW).
During the signing ceremony, Board Chairman, Mark Mulenga, said the board had a mandate to review salaries and personal emoluments of its employees every year.
Mr Mulenga said this is done in order to motivate the staff to work even harder to propel the learning institution to higher heights.
He said despite the many financial challenges being faced by the institution, the board was still committed to ensuring that worker’s conditions of service were improved so that the institution could purge out the best students who could be able to contribute to national development.
And NUTELAW President, Mathews Mwaba, has welcomed the collective agreement, saying his union was cognisant of the fact that the board had
serious income challenges.
“Despite the financial difficulties being faced here, we would like to
commend you for agreeing to our demands as a union we know it was not
easy,” Mr Mwaba said.
He said the 30 per cent increment would translate into every worker getting at least K3, 000 every month.
Mr Mwaba has since appealed to government to improve the infrastructure at Lukashya Trades Institute in order to attract more students and other
customers.
He said many people were shunning to study or hold their events at the
institution because of its current dilapidated infrastructure.
Mr Mwaba also called on government to improve the grants given to
the institution in order to improve its operations.
Living has become expensive hence, a 30% increment is not bad, for one is better than nothing.