LOCAL Government and Housing Minister Stephen Kampyongo has urged councils to look at the possibilities of engaging casual workers on permanent basis in line with the new labour laws.
The new legal framework graduates a person from a casual employee to a short term employee at the expiry of the initial six months of engagement.
Further, an employee engaged on short term contracts graduates to a fixed term employee and finally to a permanent employee while the old law had no room for one to graduate.
Mr Kampyongo said there was need for the local authorities to look at the possibility of engaging casual workers on permanent basis instead of dismissing them following the recent changes in the law.
Speaking in an interview in Livingstone, Mr Kampyongo said the Government had done an amendment to the Local Government Equalisation Fund which would enable councils to have money to pay workers across the board.
“I am encouraging all councils who had people who were working as casual workers before the new law not to throw these workers.
“Look at the possibility of engaging these workers on permanent basis. We have done an amendment to the Local Government Equalisation Fund and the money went for a third reading in Parliament on Tuesday. The money will help councils to draw a certain amount to go to emolument to pay council workers across board and not just a specific grade of workers,” Mr Kampyongo said.
He also said he would be updating Parliament soon on the status of suspended councils in the country namely Livingstone, Kitwe and Ndola following the elapse of their 90 days of suspension.
Mr Kampyongo said appointed the Local Government administrators were performing official duties backed by the lack and there was no need for the public to panic.
“The suspension of councils was not meant to publish anyone but to restore order and confidence.
“Not all councillors in suspended councils are guilty of wrongdoing. There are a few individuals who are being pursued by law enforcement agencies and others are appearing in the court of law,” Mr Kampyongo said.
He also said he received complaints from Livingstone residents who complained that the local authority gave them a short period to pay for their plots and asked the council to address the matter.
Mr Kampyongo, who is Patriotic Front (PF) national youth chairperson, said the defection of former Lusaka Province Minister Mulenga Sata to United Party for National Development (UPND) was regrettable.
He however urged PF youths to soldier when some party officials were jumping out of the ship.
“I want to appeal to Mulenga Sata not to burn bridges because there is more to the future and if he has found peace, we will leave to the people of Zambia to judge.
“He has joined UPND, which his father failed to work with in an alliance. I wish him well and should he wish to return, the PF Youth wing will leave the door open but I want him to go with dignity,” Mr Kampyongo said.
Kampyongo its over & too late. Where have you & PF been in the last 5 years? Time to close PF has come & surely the people of Zambia will vote wisely & not visionless PF of Lungu.
PF has failed to create employment, over 10,000 miners lost their jobs b’coz PF has “employed” its cadres at the expense of economic crisis, load shedding, poor health care~go to UTH~pathetic.
Time is over for you bene Kapyongo, people are exhausted from PF’s noise.
Zambia on 11~8 vote HH & UPND, its the only remaining choice, Forward Kachema.
The Skeleton Key
~206~
skeleton your a big fool, the truth is PF is still intact and still around abatonga tatubafwaya
WHEN DID CASUAL BECOME PERMANENT OR EVEN HOW CAN CASUAL BE PERMANENT ?
mulenga sata was not even respectful to his late father,the guy is lost
You ka tonga skeleton you better check your hatred against president Lungu, because you wil end up with an uncontrolled BP