Workers at the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) on Wednesday held a thanksgiving meeting to acknowledge improved conditions of service following a nine-year wait.
The FAZ Executive Committee recently passed a resolution to adjust the salaries of secretariat staff.
When he assumed office, FAZ President Keith Mweemba became concerned about the low wages after learning that some of the lowest-paid workers were earning as little as K1,500.
During his early days in office, Mweemba said he was deeply touched to learn about the critically low wages being paid to some workers at FAZ. He then initiated a process to improve their salaries.
With the approval of the Executive Committee, a new salary structure was implemented. Following the implementation of the new structure, workers held a meeting on Wednesday and invited the President to thank him and the executive for the adjustment.
Choolwe Moonga, a long-serving employee who spoke on behalf of the workers, expressed gratitude for the salary increment, which had not occurred in almost a decade.
Moonga thanked Mweemba for the commitment he had shown toward the welfare of workers.
“For nine years, the employees of the Association served without a salary increment. During this time, staff members remained dedicated to their responsibilities and continued to work diligently to support the administration and development of football in Zambia,” Moonga said.
“Our commitment to the Association and to the growth of the game has always remained steadfast,” he said.Another employee, Bernadette Chola, said the decision by the Executive Committee to increase workers’ salaries had made a significant impact on their lives.Chola said the action represents recognition of the work employees perform every day to ensure that the operations of the Association continue effectively and professionally.She added that the move will help motivate workers who tirelessly operate behind the scenes.“Your action has restored morale, strengthened motivation, and reaffirmed the value of the people who work behind the scenes to support the game of football in our country,” Chola said.Senior employee Maybin Sitali said the gesture to review the conditions of service would encourage workers to carry out their duties with dedication and professionalism.“Mr President, thank you for your leadership, your vision, and your commitment to strengthening this institution,” Sitali said.The workers later presented an autographed and framed white Kopa jersey to the FAZ President as a sign of appreciation.In response, Mweemba said the salary improvements were meant to motivate workers and improve productivity.He thanked the Executive Committee for supporting the decision to increase wages, saying the move had the full backing of its members.“If you want to improve productivity, you need a motivated workforce. This increment would not have been possible without the support of my executive. They gave it full support,” Mweemba said.He added that the move fulfilled one of the campaign promises he made after learning about the long period without salary adjustments.“It was part of my campaign message. Those who followed me will remember that I was concerned to learn that you had not received a salary increment for nine years. Among the first things we needed to do was to see how we could improve the conditions of service,” he said.Mweemba said his leadership could only succeed with the support of workers, noting that no leader succeeds alone.“As I always say, a leader cannot succeed working alone. It is not possible. A leader succeeds by working with others.You can never be a single genius; you can only be a collective genius,” he said.He added that the salary increase should be matched by hard work from employees, promising that better things lie ahead.Mweemba called on workers to remain devoted and dedicated to their duties in order to repay the confidence shown by the Executive Committee.“We should always strive to win through actions and through arguments,” he said.He added that improved motivation among workers should translate into better performances by national teams and qualification for major tournaments such as the World Cup.“Our national team will start performing. You all know what it means for a country when its national team qualifies for the World Cup, even before they kick the ball. Even if they do not win a single match, the benefits are significant. So imagine if Zambia qualifies and that money comes in; it can bring a lot of positive changes,” he said.Mweemba also called for a diversified approach to raising funds, adding that the Executive Committee has created an ad hoc Commercial, Marketing and Fundraising Committee.“We need to diversify all the time if we want to raise money. We have created an ad hoc committee called Commercial, Marketing and Fundraising, comprising eminent individuals whose job, among other things, is to raise money. We want to see at least a minimum of USD15 million being raised. Obviously, if we can go all the way to USD100 million, that would be even better,” he said.
