With few days remaining before pay day, some workers in Ndola, on the Copperbelt have started protesting, hoping to see figures adjusted high on their payslips. This follows government’s recently revised minimum wage.
General Workers at the Italian owned Zambezi Portland Cement Company have abandoned the plant, demanding a salary increment of K 3.5 million across the board. The General Workers, who currently get a monthly salary of K900 000 each, say they will not go back for work unless their pleas are adhered to.
But the firm’s Managing Director, Antonio Ventrilia, has told the protesting workers to stop causing what he calls unnecessary confusion.
Meanwhile, the Hotels and Catering Association of Zambia (HCAZ) is contemplating meeting government to look at how the hospitality industry will safeguard workers from losing their jobs following the increment of the minimum wage.
Over 300 delegates of HCAZ from all over the country are meeting at Protea Hotel in Chipata for the 48th Annual General Meeting and one item on the agenda is the minimum wage.
The delegates, led by HCAZ president, Ntalasha Mulenga, said they should come up with issues to present to the Ministers of Tourism and Art during the time the association will meet government.
The HCAZ president informed delegates that the new Statutory Instrument on the minimum wage has already been signed and is effective, adding that the wages for employees have gone up by 63 per cent.
Mr Mulenga said there was a high cost of doing business in the country at the moment and suggested that the minimum wage increment should have been based on sectors and not generalised.[pullquote]’ Let us fight it up to State House. How can someone who does not know the financial capacity of employers sit down and determine the minimum wage?’’ he wondered.[/pullquote]
He urged delegates not to listen to instructions from the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) which told them not to increase the wages, saying they should abide by government’s directive but continue to dialogue for a better solution.
‘’ Our argument should be that we also give service charge to employees which is an income and this already makes us reach the current minimum wage if added to the wages,’’ Mr Mulenga said.
He said as delegates, they should agree that government should scrap off the service charge if the hospitality industry was to maintain the work force with the current minimum wage.
Mr Mulenga said calls to reduce the work force should not be listened to because they were contrary to President Michael Sata’s pronouncement of creating over one million jobs by the year 2020.
‘’ Let us fight it up to State House. How can someone who does not know the financial capacity of employers sit down and determine the minimum wage?’’ he wondered.[pullquote]‘’ It does not make sense for someone to go on telling employers to pay at the current minimum wage without consulting them,’’ he said, referring to the Labour Minister, Fackson Shamenda[/pullquote].
Mr Mulenga said if the issue of the minimum wage was not handled properly, it would result into a problem like that in Europe where there is a crisis because trade unions became too strong and called for more wages, thereby, forcing employers to go to Asia and America where taxes were low.
‘’ It does not make sense for someone to go on telling employers to pay at the current minimum wage without consulting them,’’ he said, referring to the Labour Minister, Fackson Shamenda.
Mr Mulenga also warned delegates not to casualise workers, saying, doing so was an offence because Zambia was party to the convention that discourages casualisation.
He said most employers had resolved to casualise jobs by looking at critical areas to keep workers in employment.
‘’ If employers will take the issue of casualisation, then there will be massive job losses in the country. We have made an appointment with the Labour and Tourism Ministers to present our resolutions,’’ Mr Mulenga said.[pullquote]Some lodges in Mambwe district that are near the South Luangwa National Park have written letters of termination of contracts to their workers following the new minimum wage[/pullquote]
Meanwhile, some lodges in Mambwe district that are near the South Luangwa National Park have written letters of termination of contracts to their workers following the new minimum wage.
One of the workers at a named lodge, opted for anonymity for fear of victimisation, told ZANIS in a telephone interview that their employers threatened that if government did not remove the service charge, they will either lay off workers or leave the business because they could not manage to pay them at the current minimum wage.
The worker said the employees have been told to work as casuals up to 19th of August this year and if nothing tangible comes out from government, they will be laid off.
ZANIS/
The arizing
This mulenga is contradicting himself, how did he become a chairman? He is a very dull. Anyway the circus continues. The case of an uneducated president (sata).
People who are really educated do not promote oppression.
So these chaps at Hotels and Catering Association of Zambia do exist eh? now that the government has increased the threshold for the very poor hard-working hotel staff who only survive on pantry dollar tips from basungus. Where is HCAZ when we the customers are complaining about the shambolic service we receive? where is HCAZ when I’m being ignored by racists hotel owners when I’m complaining at reception about the terrible food? Where is HCAZ when the industry is crying out for customer service training?
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And these homosapienes in govt claimed to have experience in governance having been ward chairmen,governors and ministers without portfolio.my foot
Raising the minimum wage is a very smart move. Oppressing less fortunate people is a very colonial mentality, it boarders slavery so I applaud this government for caring about the hard working people we take for granted.Â
The “stuff” has hit the fan.
So what is this Mulenga saying? How can he praise the President while at the same time condemning his appointee Shamenda?
After pocketing dollars and pounds, they hand Zambian workers some measly Kwachas which are not even enough to buy lunch for themselves, a bunch of greedy  chaps! Let them take the villas to China who cares, you cannot outsource wild animals and waterfalls, they are ours! The minimum wage will sought out the real investors and vultures- who came here to oppress Zambian workers. Â
You mulenga, why are contradictng yoself? You praise Sata and you blame Shamenda, dont u know that they are one and the same. Its only that one is a chief CNP.
Mulenga is a misguided fool. He seems not to know what he is talking about. Ministers work under the directives of their chief who happens to be CNP at this time. So when Kumenda is wrong then the CNP is also wrong. They are not separate babwana. Just say CNP is contradicting himself when he says he wants to create more jobs and at the same time SI does not support that as more and more companies will lay off workers to maintain their profit margins. Some may even hike their service charges to maintain their workers at the demanded minimum wage. So expect services and goods to sky rocket within the next few days rendering your kamasalary increment of 15% useless. It’s that bad. I rest my case!
I cannot believe people are complaining about paying their workers above k1m. This minimum wage is still very little. Is this how low people get paid? I thought most companies will not complain because they are already paying workers above a million. Indeed this will seperate investors from infestors.
How does one even make a badget from k1m? 4 yrs ago when I used to employ people I started people entry level at k2m which went up after probation.
You said: Â “4 YRS AGO WHEN I USED TO EMPLOY PEOPLE …” Â How come you no longer employ people? Â Is it because your company went under because you were overpaying or you are now mechanised?
This is not even that big of an issue. Implement the minimum wage law piecewise as I stated last week. Send government inspectors and lawyers to firms to send the point across firmly.
Mr Mulenga seem not to know what he’s talking about, he started well when he said lets dialogue with Govt to find ways of avoiding people from losing their after the minimum wage.On the other hand he wants to blame the minister for the good thing he did. I would advise the Minister to work with people of the same side (fighting to uplift the lives of the poor becoz that’s what brought them in power) Zambians have cried for so many years without anyone listening them.We now have a party (PF) chosen by GOD to undertake this task. Mr. Minister do what you can do with all your powers as a GOVT to do what you feel is good for the poor and avoid listening to people like Mr. Chimbanda (ZFE) please please please!!! You might sound like you are alone but NO NO NO Mr. Minister.
Its only that the poor do not have the platform to express themselves and the only way is through protest which you have seen in the past. Don’t waste yo time arguing with Mr. Chimbanda because people like him do not even VOTE it is the poor. Don’t allow him to sound like he has more powers than the govt. No matter what criticisms from Mr. Chimbanda never mind just send the inspectors to insure that the minimum wage is implemented because its us who will appreciate you.VIVA PF
Mr.mulenga sir,haw mach is your sitting allanice for the very meeting you are attending?if your companys are crying for minimum wage,shaw us your accounting books,so that we can knaw that this minimum wage can’t work for you people in the hotels and catering industries who have been making loss.just a reminder ,mr mulenga,a week go i slep in one of you hotels for 3 days and i was paying 75 dollor par night.
This is something bigger than the electoral lies they promised only to renege on. This minimum wage thing will bring bring about massive job losses and spark unprecedented civil unrest that could push this CNP government out of power. Mark my word, and when it happens CNP will blame the opposition for fueling the unrest.
SO EVEN COMPANIES LIKE LAFARGE HAS WORKERS WHO GET LESS THAN 1 MILLION MWEBANTU????????????? CRY MY BELOVED ZAMBIA…….GOD HELP US….AND SOME PEOPLE ARE SUPORTING THAT 1 MILLION IS TOO HIGH…DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THESE DIRECTORS GET????????? SATA SWEEP ZAMBIA TWAPAPATA
#17 you UPND people, do you still use you brains for thinking? Civil unresting for increasing worker’s salaries by k500pin? Do you have any ideas how much these companies make out of this country? They ivade tax, pay slave wages and over price their products. How much profit can anyone make at the expense of the poor?
UPND I challenge you to keep on coming up with names CNP, UKWA name it. Wait years to come the majority of Zambians you keep irritating will never allow your kinds anywere near State house. Your HH has tanished the name of Tongas and it will take decades to clean up. It is nine provinces against one every election.
Raising the minimum wage is what the PF think is the easiest way to hoodwink the people for”more money in their pockets”.They are making the employers as scapegoats for PF under-performance in inspiring private business to create more jobs.They have had no impact yet since coming in as the ruling Government in as far as job creation plans are concerned…SO…adabracadabra…..MINIMUM WAGE !!!..and…voila !! it is the employer who is greedy,cos your Government is working???
You can not increase the minimum wage so much and order PRIVATE companies and Domestic worker employers to pay up or else!!The few jobs and investment will be shipped out.It will be TOO EXPENSIVE TO DO BUSINESS IN ZAMBIA.Increase the minimum wage by consultation and let the Market forces take care of the rest.
The problege from here is not the K1.1million minimum wage but the change is too much. You cannot chnage the minimum wage from K483,000 to K1.1 million and tell the affected employers to just accept it. What may begin to happen is that instead of maintaining 10 workers for example on the shop floor the employer might fire 5 and give the other five the new minimum wage therfore more unemployment!!
The Zambian government has inadvertently entered the “Freedom Project” on behalf of hitherto exploited workers in its country. Congratulations and good luck!!! End Modern Day Slavery NOW!!!
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Mo money in our pockets. Minimum wage ili che stop whining and pay. No More slave conditions for Zambians. Are you people happy that most people live on less than a dollar a day? Atase futseki mule kwata ko nensoni. I hope this serves to shut down all sweat shops running in this country. Abash abuse of the help.
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