Labour sector stakeholders have proposed that the minimum wage be increased from the current K268, 000 to K600, 000 in view of the rising cost of living.
And the stakeholders have also proposed some amendments to the statutory instrument number 57 of 2006 that looks at the minimum wage and conditions of employment.
The resolutions were made at a one day workshop on minimum wage organized by the Anti- Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) in Lusaka yesterday.
The workshop which was attended by various trade union leaders, labour consultants, employers and employees, among others, also proposed that domestic workers be included in the minimum wage bracket.
The stakeholders said there was need for the statutory instruments on minimum wage Act and conditions of employment Act to be changed as ithey were last amended in 2006.
They proposed that the minimum wage be increased from K268, 000 to K600,000 with the difference spread across the board to other wage earnings.
They further proposed that employees who have retired should continue receiving full pay from their former company until they get all their terminal benefits and that this should also apply to people whose relatives die while in employment.
And in a vote of thanks, AVAP executive Director Bonny Tembo thanked the participants for coming up with resolutions and suggestions to the labour laws in the country.
Mr. Tembo said some of the proposals that were made are also undergoing debate at the National Constitution Conference (NCC) and urged participants to take keen interest in the deliberations.
He said his organization was prompted to come up with such a workshop because they saw the loopholes in the current labour laws.
He however assured the stakeholders that AVAP will quickly look into the issue of forming an advocacy committee that will ensure that the proposals are implemented by authority.
Mr. Tembo said AVAP will work closely with trade unions and other labour leaders to ensure that many of the challenges workers are facing are addressed.
And a participant at the workshop has hailed AVAP for organizing such a workshop saying there is need for more of such initiatives to acquaint people with the labour laws.
Tedson Msoni who is also a labor consultant said there is also need for stakeholders to be reviewing the statutory instrument yearly if the problems in the labour laws are to be reduced.
ZANIS/GP/ENDS/MM.
Though that’s not enough!
Its about time we had the concept of minimum wage. Even garden boy should get at least $600,000 per month. Infact with such low wages, government should consider bi-weekly paychecks. Take out the loan sharks.
That atleast make sense to me.At least its close to the CSO monthly food basket.
That isnt enough,hope the proposal works out.Kaili ba soccer team allowances have been increased
#2 Mikomfwa,Are you sure the garden boy in Zambia should be paid like the CEO of Goldman sachs in the US?
All the same, that is not good enough,
What is K600,000?…. peanuts, considering the price of mealie -meal is always unstable….!
Surely in this time and age, wat can one do with K600,000 per month? Guys be realistic and have a heart for others. The cost of living in Zedis very hig even what you guys are proposing is a drop in the ocean. When are things ever going to improve in Zed.
#5 sharp shooter, I meant K600,000. thanks for noticing.
its ok
I see all the socialist and semi-communist are out of the wood work demanding for 600 pin even when they do nothing. God help us. That is not how you demand salaries. You have to earn 600 pin. Why should I pay 600 000 pin to a position of a maid when there are 10 000 of them competing for the same position. Its supply and demand. A surgeon costs more because there are very few in supply and now you want to legislate demand and supply. This is nuts and ridiculous. Anybody who wants a higher wage let him/her acquire a skill that is in high demand and the world will pay any money to have his/her services. Your earn your salary in exchange of the value that you bring to the market. Full stop.
#10 Chinondo you are just ranting now. We are talking about minimum wage here and seriously what is K600,000. Underpaying people does not improve the economy. A maid has skills if she is taking care of your home and children.
How many members of a family can be fed on 600 000 ?
How can one budget on this amount. This is why the global economic crunch is still severe. People are forced to lend money that they can not manage to pay back. These are the roots of the E-Crunch that these politicians mention day in and day out. Americans for instance where used to living on plastic money and now most of them can not even pay back the credit card charges. Terrible situation indeed and the most painful part of it all is that politicians fail to identify the cause. Invest in the the people offer and they will dedicate themselves in working efficiently so as to support the economy and refrain from corruption.
Ermmm, that’s peanuts just, about the amount i spend on booze every weekend on a night out clubbing, aprox: £75.00 – £100 or a little bit over each one of my kids pocket money (£50.00) per kid per week…. CHICKEN CHANGE. Good reminder of why i left the GOD FORSAKEN COUNTRY TILL KINGDOM COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;)
It is sad when Zambians call their own home God forsaken.
When is the labour minister going to announce the minimum wage? we are now going towards December and he has done anything telling him that we are running out patience now.
come on you guys have you ever thought of how much you would need to pay yo nanny. lets classify the minimum wage according to professions so that the agricultural sector is not severely hampered. i propose that there should be no increment for the ministry of agriculture so that it can tick. civil servants on the other hand should not be paid anything less than 3million. our government has money n runs profitably enough for 2.1 billion to be planted in the ground after all.