Zambia Federation of Employers Executive Director Harrington Chibanda today failed to show up at Lusaka Central Police where he was summoned for questioning over the minimum wage.
Mr. Chibanda said in an interview from Ndola that he could not make it to the police station today due to a family bereavement. He said he was on the Copperbelt arranging for the family to travel to Mwinilunga where the funeral was being held.
Mr. Chibanda was summoned to Lusaka Central Police after Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda reported him for inciting employers to disregard the new minimum wage. He however maintained that Mr. Shamenda’s complaint to the police is aimed at intimidating the Zambia Federation of Employers.
“I have asked my lawyers to communicate to the police that I will only be available on Tuesday next week, at the moment, we are in mourning as a family,” Mr. Chibanda said.
Meanwhile, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions Secretary Genral Roy Mwaba has appealed to Mr. Shamenda to drop the complaint against Mr. Chibanda. Mr. Mwaba said it does not help the spirit of social dialogue if some partners start involving the police in their issues.
“We believe that this is an issue which could be amicably sorted using the channels provided for in the Tripartite Labour Consultative Council. We appeal to the Minister to drop the charges,” Mr. Mwaba said.
This man’s heart is as ugly as his face ububi you think this is one party state.
Just pay the workers handsomely.
Its a hot issue,but dialogue is better, our people have suffered a lot being paid little salaries, affected employers should sit with government to discuss this matter.
the sooner some people are sorted out the better
MR SHAMENDER SHOULD RESIGN BEFORE THINGS GETS OUT OF HAND
Shamenda has messed up and failed to provide leadership on this minimum wage issue leading to the industrial chaos the country is going through right now.
Intimidating others as a way to escape taking responsibility is cowardice and stup1dity of the worst order on the part of shamenda. The buck stops at your dirty and disheveled beards.
No where in this world can Mr Shamenda ‘s acts be tolerated. This says loads about his calibre as minister and HEMCS must immediately remove him. In fact Kambwili would have handled this matter better despite his no nonsense approach. Shamenda is ashamed of Harrington’s professional handling of the public debate and has a score to settle. But he must realise that offices are not permanent and he will have to swallow his words once back on the street. He should learn from the past, where is Dora? Where are all those once powerful ministers now. Eventually we shall conclude he has a personal vendetta against Harrington for some reason. Minister, calm down and if you are too emotional transfer the minimmum wage debate to some one else in government who is less emotional, such as Prof Luo.
We will see who wins at last.
I tell my association members to disregard what ‘kamandevu’ has said, surely what can the police charge me for? We now have a real dictatorship in Zed :( The police should also act professionally for once. Not all the time acting as chola boy for the PF politicians. atase!!
Only a foool would imagine a police state my brother, as ZFE president he should be convesant with the law or atleast have legal advisors. silly mampara.
Let the market forces of demand and supply of labour determine the wages people will get…
Employers Complaining on the minimum wage should take a leading role by cutting on thier airtime allowance, fuel allowance, and sitting allowance. Its Absurd to hear somebody complaining over a friends 2 million salary when they get 20 Million plus allowances. Talking from experience. iam ready to spill the beans.
This Govt is a spectacle indeed. What Law/statute sites an offence of “inciting employers”? Even if we pushed the boundaries just to get it into criminality we would be looking at incitement /acts that are likely to cause public disorder, we would be pushing it too far. There is no law broken especially that Mr Chibanda is acting in his official capacity and his advise to employers can be taken or left.
Mwaona ka? So now you are not even allowed to have divergent views from the party and its govt. In other words we all have to become stup.id and illogical like them? First you make the cost of doing business in the country higher and then you intimidate people for expressing their views? Am we back in the 1970s, if only we could go back to Sept 20, 2011 to vote wisely.
We should have a law that allows us to deport people that oppress workers, they to be taken to Jupiter where there is no life, the likes of Hakainde
I can imagine this man naked and running around in his bedroom eh..No need of minimum wage let every employer decide by themselves , for employees its take it or leave it who told you to be vikopo ku school, this is the result
you see now is this a police a case or a nation issue which needs to solved amicably? why going to police? so everything we should say yes bwana when we argue you take us to the police no everything need to be debated this not a military state.zambians should learn whom they can putt in state house.
Shamenda is very stupid.
FORM YOUR OWN COMPANIES AND PAY YOUR MINIMUM WAGE
Zambians look at the ministry who will take any matter which concerns industrial relations to the Police? It shows the low caliber of ministers in Sata’s government,and that they are not educated.
Good help us.
Dollar
This is the result of careless voting by Zambians. Vote HH!
the problem is that companies make there budgets in january for the year to december and as such for a goon to just come and announce 100% increament puts the firm operating budgets astray. the goons should have instead moved to january next year togive firms space to adjst there budgets and operation processes…nfortnately where u have people from nip…what u get is CNP.
K2MILLION about (£250/month) employers ARE COMPLAINING! HOW MUCH DO THEY GET THEMSELVES, ANYWAY? WHAT I KNOW IS THAT MANY COMPANIES CAN EASILY AFFORD THIS WAGE.
Those who have read George Orwell’s Animal Farm will easily see similarities with characters in this book. Try to get a copy before it gets banned from our bookstores its invaluable!
I ma so surprised reading comments which are aginst the minimum wage. In developed countries, you cannot pay anyone below a certain figure. In Australia for example, a student working part time cannot be paid less than Aus$ 20 per hour. The problem is that in our country, we have been so mistreated and underpaid tat we have begun to see it as normal. Any company which cannot pay a minimum of $250/month to an employee should be shut down and its so-called investors sent packing. It is unacceptable that the management of such companies should swim in money while the employees swim in poverty. Minister, get that Mr. Chibanda locked up so that he can understand that the govt calls the shorts.
shamenda show some leadership qualituies na imwe wy rushing to the police is it becoz chibanda has points in wat he is saying now u want to silence him,it just shws that shamenda is a coward. bwana ukwa wat are u weting for to fire this old dunderhead shamenda,a prist talks about ukwas salarie he is depoted wat type of country is zambia now no freedom of speach twanaka mwe.
Only a devil would want to perpetuually pay its worker slavely wages. Go to europe or USA you will find a minimum wage per hour. If you work for 8 hours you will have at least $50 dollars. Paying beloe the minimum wage in these countries is a punishable offense . You guys in the diaspora cleaning poop these are the benefits you get from the minimum wage out there. Now why are you against the $200 per month for our onwn people? You devil poop cleaners answer me.
SHAMENDA HAS FAILED IN ALL MINISTRIES EVEN IN HIS OWN BACKYARD OF TRADE UNIONISM AND LABOUR.
Hon. Shamenda please improve your looks, those looks are not ministerial, we are embarrassed first by your scruffy looks, secondly your utterances are not ministerial
MMD is winning next elections. It seems PF isn’t doing things properly. Wake up guys, we voted for you ka. We can unvote!
Shamenda should be fired for incompetence.He doesn’t seem to really understand what his role is as minister.These are the same men who will be insulting Sata in the near future when they are out of govt.Look at his mouth and you’ll agree with me.Shamenda nimuselela kwakaba!!!
It is indeed sad that the debate on the minimum wage has taken this turn. Points of fact is that ZFE is a legal body and is mandated to protect the interests of its members. How, for crissake, can someone influence mature, intelligent and rich people who employ our brother and sisters. well, such desperate acts are simply the kicks of a dying horse. Shamenda has run out of options. infact, the pf government has run out of ideas and this country is headed for doom. mark my word.
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