THERE is a need for the new government to put in place energy reforms that can save Indeni and Tazama, the National Union of Transport and Allied Workers (NUTAW) has said.
NUTAW president Kingsley Kachenjela said the transformation of Indeni and Tazama would save jobs in the energy sector.
Mr. Kanchenjela said the union was happy that the new government was coming up with a transformation agenda for the Zambian economy.
He said in a statement that two strategic energy sectors were almost killed through the use of middle-men.
He said for example, Indeni had for the past one year not received feed-stock for refining at the plant and that by September this year, the company would have shut.
βAll kinds of middle-men held the petroleum sector at ransom through the importation of finished petroleum products at high cost which made fuel expensive to consumers should be removed,β he said.
Mr. Kachenjela said the union was urging the new government to invest in critical skills and infrastructure at Indeni and Tazama.
He said the new government should consider using social contracts with its citizens to attract investment to modernise Indeni so that it could process crude oil and export petroleum products to neighboring countries.
β Green filed investment in the petroleum sector would contribute to economic diversification, job creation, bring in technology transfer, foreign exchange and re-skilling human capital for today’s green economy,β he said.