President Edgar Lungu has directed the Ministries of Home Affairs and Labour to issue work permits to foreign nationals with skills not locally available.
Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda says the President made the directive during a Cabinet Meeting at State House this morning.
Mr. Shamenda says President Lungu will soon hold talks with the Labour movement once he returns from China.
He says the President is happy with the manner the Labour movement has quietly promoted industrial harmony.
Mr. Shamenda says President Lungu is still committed to the retirement age as promised during campaigns.
Mr. Shamenda also said that casulisation will be banned before the end of this year.
He was speaking in Lusaka at the launch of the Tripartite Partnership Committee for the mining sector.
Meanwhile, a Technical Committee of two trade union mother bodies set up to look at the revision of the retirement age has supported the upward adjustment.
Federation of Tree Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) President Chingati Msiska said that his union and the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions -ZCTU- are in support of the new policy measure on retirement.
Mr Msiska said that government officials have been on record supporting the adjustment saying it would help restructure the pension scheme so that retiring workers do not become destitute.
Mr. Msiska added that government has honestly stated that pension houses like the Local Authority Supernuation Fund (LASF) and Public Service Pensions Fund have no money to pay pensioners at the moment.
He said that the measure has the potential to enable pension houses collect enough funds and prevent them from going bankrupt.
Mr. Msiska was speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
Government last year announced the upward adjustment of the retirement age from 55 to 65 years.
ok so you mean somebody can come with huge investment and come with no one to work with and only go for local people? kaya.
So you think coming with a bunch of your relatives and friends makes your investment clever! Lol the thinking of some of you characters is weird! I hope you try to get a work permit in Australia see if you will have it easy>:
My goodness dude! You seriously don’t understand what the president is trying to do? He is putting zambians first.
That includes skills of PRESIDENT.
Someone kept telling us that he didn’t know what to do, he will only follow Sata’s skills, and consult KK and dubious RB.
– Yet yesterday we heard that “Namibia is doing E-voting” I will copy. Then lets hire Namibians for president of Zambia.
I think Hon Shamenda has been one of the laziest Minister i wonder why Chagwa had called this man back. Mr Sata used to tell this man to make changes but to no avail. This Shamenda has been talking about casualisation and expatriates ever since he was minister.
Iwe we have enough man power in almost all the area and field to a greater, greater ,greater ,level. Our graduates are on the streets and you are saying……
Ok, so you mean they will come to Zambia and make money and then share amongst themselves without paying anything to the owners of the land? You must be crazy my friend……Zambia is for Zambians and if they are not ready to employ our people then let them go to hell!
Our president talks too much and less action in policy change.govt will do better to revisit the current holders of work permits to ascertain those with special skills and revoke permits for those selling tomatoes, NShima etc.
He has stated something very profound. For once keep your attack with no substance political rhetoric for a cadre subject. This one has shown president Lungu’s wise side.
He was home affair minister for some time and on his watch we saw an influx of dubious work permits being issuedt even to sales people in indian shops. And as someone has already said it went as far as giving permits to vendors selling tomatoes and nshima on the streets. Trouble is we have praise singers as Ministers. Sata checked them all out and declared he had useless Ministers.
This is great by President Lungu. Still cannot believe that he has said something this great. Let us discuss how significant this pronouncement is before the opposition political noise makers of LT show up. Even President Nawakwi shall approve.
2@nzeru, what sensible thing has EL done or said here, u can debate better .go to youtube , Wes Brown. A lot people who are at cemetery said a lot of good pronouncements but little in realization. Zambians wants a policy change and revoking permit for non skilled workers.
‘Skills shortage’ is the appropriate term. It will be hard for investors otherwise the move will enable the local people to be employed. The only problem is the culture of laziness among a minority Zambian workers.
Stop stereotyping, if one Zambian is lazy it does not mean that everyone is lazy. You are the type of people who thrive on selling negatives about your country and africa.If a nigerian is caught in 419 scam and now every nigerian is a 419 scammer. Learn to judge people by the content of their character and not what a Mr. Smith said
@ Big Gun please read my posting again and again! I used the word ‘minority’ and not everyone! Thank you.
We do have skills in Zambia. What we lack is the requisite competency and self-belief. I hope we can have chaps missing a few Sunday’s to complete a project then return to pray after work is done. It is a mindset issue, folks. We need to carry out personal revolutions, each one of us.
Missing a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday prayers are needed now more than ever. Spirituality grows a creative soul.
@kalok, yeah but prayer has nothing to do with lack of development. We need to change our mindset and to do this we need a leader.govt can introduce clock punch system were all gVT employees can punch in using their thumb , and clock out whenever one is not working, through this government can retain productive and fire those with repeated pattern,
@Kalok
Incredible comment!
Personal revolution is as vital as oxygen to all Zambians. I would demand that we all take this awareness seriously. Watch a documentary entitled “men who built America” and you will catch a glimpse of what Zambians need to get be counted in the global market.
For once since 2011 these idiiots are making sense in some areas. Now start scrutinizing all these Chinese criminals selling tomatoes and chickens. I would urge the Zambians in the markets to kick out all those Chickens selling Chinese out of our market now. Cadres are busy chasing each other in the markets instead of chasing the real unwanted characters. Zambians wake and guard what belongs to you!
Making silly proclamations is inadequate. Honestly, does it take a president to say this for the immigration officials to act? This clearly entails of a deeper issue than is realized. What the heck has the department been doing all along then?
Zambians should be careful how you treat foreigners. Read your bible and hear what God says about mistreating foreigners! Learn from these foreigners and stop complaining, Zambia is large enough for many people
I would like you to show us the chapter and verse in the bible where we are instructed to look after foreigners to the detriment of our own children. There is a difference between priotising and mistreating. If a thief comes into your house I guess you probably offer them coffee and help them pack the loot right. Ati I am kind hearted.
You are joking right>:Zambians are the most friendly people you will ever meet.No wonder foreigners take advantage of them. Ever heard of the xenophobic attacks which happened in SA? Have you ever heard of that in Zambia? Sometimes you foreigners you should learn to appreciate such hospitality!
@maikalange
That’s not the issue here. Yes we have plenty of land. However, we are an independent country with laws. Our job is to protect our people. If foreigners are coming to take away jobs that could be done by Zambians then we have a big problem. I was a victim of this myself. An American was hired by a Zambian company over me despite that this guy had only a 2 yr degree from a community college in TX and I had a bachelor’s degree from an elite school in the USA. Worse still he did not understand the culture and business environment and he needed a work permit to work here while I did not need one. How do you explain that?
The Zambian worst enemy is another Zambian. To imagine that Indian accountants and the rest of foreigners are still being given work permits with so many professionally qualified accountants is beyond comprehension. But that is the way Zambians operate. They will first compensate the Chinese “swine farmers” before Zambian farmers. Let us learn from Botswana.
Way to go.I forsee an army of neglected Chinese bastards if this trend is not stopped.
In most countries, job adverts will have “only nationals are eligible”. Hope your diaspora policy will include giving preference to recruitment of Zambians with relevant competences for local consultancies.
Not to stir the hornets nest but it is also important not to only “target” the Chinese, what say yea about the other “new immigrants” : Indians (preferred for employment by the “old” Indian settlers who are now bona fide citizens), Zimbabweans (traders, veggie producers) and yes even new settlers from mighty South Africans (unqualified but coming under the shield of corporate South Africa where a grade 12 (matric) can head a department of guys with masters degrees and years of experience). Immigration can contact me through LT and I can provide living proof of all these examples. The ROT is at immigration the puss there needs to be pressed out…. I have no issue with the highly skilled immigrants who bring transfer of skills to the unexposed but ba kambwanga NO we have enough of…
This is True…..check on the Turkish people at Horizon School. …..they are arriving amass but no qualifications. …….Immigration department kindly varify the qualifications with Mrs. Sakala the director of standards at Education HQ.Is someone going to follow up on behalf of Zambian people??
Ati mistreating foreigners. Visit Solwezi and see how foreigners are mistreating young vulnerable girls. Some people are so strange that they have absolutely no idea what goes on in their country! Sad
Good observation, the journalist are busy following politicians around instead of going round the country collecting information and keep the citizenry informed. Now they do not even investigate or even follow anything unless it has to directly involve politicians.
Too right ! It’s the same here in West. Brings us in par. But it’s possible we should just have a system limited by number of foreigners in the country as well.
Because of lack of fair education to the poor over years, the number allowed in could still be high.
That is pretty obvious. What is EL talking about. Who does not know what he is saying?
Talk is cheap, am waiting for some action. If these pronouncements are to be believed then the govt. Should revoke a couple of permits or not renew. Pass a law like Tanzania then will know u mean business.
He should fire Lazarous Mulenda from labour, Mwila jere cabinet and Simonga MoH
MGWILENI AZAGWA UYO
There is no way that anyone would go to a foreign country and invest and not employ some of her/his own countrymen. We should instead impose hefty PAYE tax on expatriate labour to make it more competitive to hire locals. After all capitalism is built on the principle of maximizing profits (revenue – costs). A limit can also be imposed for each labour type, but complete banning of certain labour types is unworkable.
Ifintu ni Lungu chabe
SO WHEN THE PEOPLE OF NORTH WESTERN WANT THEIR DISPLACED PEOPLE TO BE EMPLOYED FIRST UNLESS SKILLED LABOUR THEN SOMEBODY CRIES FOUL.
I THANK CHIEF MUSELE OF KALUMBILA PLEASE BE STRONG AND PROTECT YOUR SUBJECTS FROM FOREINGS WE ARE BEHIND YOU PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN US FOR GRANTED.
THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID IT HIMSELF ONLY LOCALS UNLESS SKILLED MANPOWER
When the president saild skilled locals, he did not mean locals from one province or chiefdom but local Zambians from Zambia. A Zambian will not be a foreigner in any part of Zambia… I dont need a passport to live and work in any of the ten Provinces of Zambia – ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION
Is the president going to tell this to the people in china today as well.
or are the Chinese exempt ?
the worry is thjat if casualisation is banned it will lead to massive job losses…many people need causals to help them reap crops, build roads, maintain zesco lines, etc. etc. industrialisation will take place leading to mass job losses……
Wise directive by the President. The laws are there but problem is implementing them, due to poor moral standard in society.
Deal with refuges from Rwanda. They have taken up a lot of space. They are involved in a lot of illegal businesses and they don’t follow local govnt laid down by laws. why are they still in the country when their country is at peace. Do we really need them. Zambians wake up. Hospitality does not mean being taken over.
Right president at the right time. Thank you lord for the gift of EL he is exactly the president we need. Humble, intelligent, open minded, hard working and professional.
I fully agree with Mr Chagwa on this issue, as it’s about time someone stood up for the common man’s interests in Zed.
As it stands, we are all aware, a lot of these permits have made a few peoples Bellies Full, so anyone found to be issuing dodgy undeserved work permits should be made to have a bedroom in Chimbokaila. This is the only way to arrest this Rot!!
I agree with you 110%. My president means well on this one but the problem is the Immigration people might just let down the president and all of us…………… If someone is computer Literate do you say that he can teach our children better than our Graduates that have studied at UNZA, CBU or Mulugushi universities? Ba Immigration please…..stand up and be counted on this one…..Let hear and see big numbers of these foreigners moving away from our country!!!! If you go to work in South Africa you will agree with me that the Home Affairs there are really working very hard to protect their country. In SA, your passport is always your next of kin. Any day that elapses on you permit, you are very quickly bundled into the cells as a PI.
Immigration please……easy to verify those Turkish fake qualifications that are submitted without the English version. The Turkish Hezmet people are not anywhere near the Turkish Government. Check on these people and the way they are patronizing our Zambian officials(Politicians) to get favors.The Turkish embassy can help.
Someone arrives from Turkey/South Africa with a computer Literacy certificate and then apply to become a teacher and a Deputy Headteacher. They will get the work permit because they are ready to buy their way through. It is very sad because our Zambian graduates will continue demonstrating at Arcades and getting arrested because no one is ready to listen…It is sad really. Mrs. Sakala.Director Standards what are you doing? How do you justify your salary???