Africa-Press – Zambia. We have taken note of a statement by Mr. James Zulu calling for the deregistration of the Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ), following revelations that the union held a meeting with the opposition Socialist Party. While Mr. Zulu is entitled to his views, the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) strongly rejects this call and reaffirms the long standing principle that trade unions have the right to engage freely with all political players in a democratic society.
The Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) was founded in 1997 and officially recognized in 1999 during the MMD administration. This is no coincidence: the MMD government was committed to expanding civic space, strengthening democratic institutions, and empowering professional associations. Today, BETUZ stands as the largest and fastest-growing teachers’ union in Zambia, with a membership exceeding 70,000 educators across both public and private institutions at all levels. BETUZ plays a critical role in advocating for the professional, social, and economic interests of teachers nationwide.
Unions are non-partisan institutions whose core mandate is to represent the interests and welfare of their members. They are not extensions of government, nor agents of political parties. To expect them to limit their engagements to only the ruling party is a gross misunderstanding of their role in a democracy. BETUZ, like any union, has the full right to meet with any political entity that shows interest in addressing the concerns of teachers and education professionals.
It is important to remind the nation that President Frederick Chiluba, Zambia’s Second Republican President and the founding father of democracy and of our party, the MMD, rose to national leadership from within the trade union movement. His journey is a testament to the power of organized labour engaging constructively with political processes. To now vilify a union for simply meeting with an opposition party is not only hypocritical it is a betrayal of our democratic foundations and a distortion of our national history.
Globally, trade unions engage across the political spectrum. In South Africa, COSATU has engaged with both ruling and opposition parties. In the United Kingdom, unions regularly interact with both Labour and Conservative parties to push for worker-friendly policies. In Ghana and many other democracies, unions are respected as critical partners in shaping national policy not seen as political enemies.
The suggestion that BETUZ is plotting against the government simply by meeting with the Socialist Party is inflammatory, reckless, and dangerous. Unions do not exist to please politicians — they exist to protect and promote the rights of their members. If government policies are genuinely pro-teacher, they should stand up to scrutiny and open dialogue not be shielded from it.
We therefore call on the Registrar of Societies and the Government of the Republic of Zambia to dismiss these unfounded calls for deregistration. BETUZ has neither broken any law nor betrayed its members. On the contrary, it has fulfilled its obligation to advocate for teachers by engaging widely in pursuit of better representation and improved conditions.
It must be protected, not persecuted, for fulfilling its democratic duty.
The MMD, as the mother of Zambia’s democracy, will not remain silent as fundamental freedoms are threatened. We stand with BETUZ, and we stand for democracy.
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