Minister of Gender Inonge Wina has disclosed that government is concerned about the well being of former Kafue Textiles of Zambia (KTZ) workers.

Mrs. Wina said it was for this reason that President Michael Sata delegated her to meet the former employees who are occupying KTZ houses but have not been offered letters to purchase them as sitting tenants.

She regretted that sitting tenants from other parastatal companies were given offer letters to buy houses and wondered why the same could not be done to former KTZ employees.

Mrs. Wina was speaking in Kafue District today when she addressed KTZ female retirees and other former workers.

The minister, who is also Patriotic Front’s (PFs) Chairperson for Women Affairs, noted that the widows and orphans among the group will not be abandoned once government decides the way forward.

She assured the former workers that once the President is informed about concerns of the former workers, he will come up with the rightful action.

Mrs. Wina noted that the outcome will be communicated to Kafue Member of Parliament Obvious Mwaliteta.

And Chairperson for former Kafue Textiles of Zambia Housing Committee, Agness Mundea, appealed to President Sata to look into the plight of former employees in terms of house ownership.

Ms. Mundea said the scheme of arrangement concerning the sale of houses was approved by the High Court of Zambia in 2004 and wondered why it had not been effected to date.

She further said if former workers will not be given priority to buy the houses, about 41 widows and orphans will get into destitution.

ZANIS

Government has observed that Zambian companies have the potential to produce food products that meet international standards.

Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Emmanuel Chenda said the common misconception that the quality of goods being produced in Zambia was of sub-standard was wrong.

Mr. Chenda said this in a speech read on his behalf by Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Permanent Secretary (PS) Siazongo Siakalenge during the celebration of the Parmalat International Standards Organization (ISO) accreditation last evening in Lusaka.

He said Zambia has companies such as Parmalat Zambia Limited that were producing high quality food products that could compete highly and favourably on the international market.

The minister praised Parmalat for its commitment to ensuring that it produces high quality food products and for undergoing the ISO accreditation to prove its worthiness.

Mr. Chenda stated that government would welcome any initiative that would propel local producers to produce food products that not only meet local standards but also meet internationally accepted standards.

Meanwhile, Parmalat Zambia Limited Managing Director Piet Theron pledged his company’s commitment to continue providing quality food products for both the Zambian and international markets.

Mr. Theron said Parmalat Zambia Limited will produce products that will be appreciated by the consumers now and in future.

And Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) Director Manuel Mutale said it takes hard work for a company to produce high quality products such as the ones Parmalat Zambia Limited produces.

Mr. Mutale pointed out that the production of good products instils confidence in the consumers to purchase such goods.

Speaking at the same function, South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Director Frank Makamo commended Parmalat Zambia Limited for producing high quality products that meant the expectation of consumers.

Mr. Makamo urged the company not to relent in its efforts of ensuring that it continues producing good food products.

ZANIS

A random inspection in some companies in Lusaka has revealed that some employers have not complied with the new minimum wage which government effected in July this year.

And Labour Deputy Minister Ronald Chitotela has stressed that government will protect Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Zambia but will not take kindly investors who abrogate labour laws that include the revised minimum wage which was affected in July this year.

The Deputy Minister yesterday conducted an impromptu inspection on some multinational shopping malls, some wholesale, retail shops and restaurants in town and castigated proprietors who have not complied with government’s directive on wages.

Mr Chitotela visited two shops and a restaurant along Lumumba road which are owned by Indians where it was discovered that workers were still getting not more than K500, 000 as salary which is less than the revised minimum wages for shop keepers and caterers.

A shop keeper in Tikondane Enterprises Limited who is only identified as Danny told the Minister that their employer pays them K 500, 000 as salary while the shop owner who refused to give his details to the Minister and the news crew said all the workers are paid well.

The shop owner called Danny to testify to the Minister that all his friends were highly paid while the later disagreed stating that the only salary he knew of was only K500, 000 pay months.

When he discovered that the news crew was filming the discussion, the shop owner became emotional and begun to block the cameraperson.

While in Zeekomo Restaurant and shop, the proprietor who is reported to have been abusing his employees and paying them less than the minimum wage was reported to be out of the shop.

But the multinational shopping mall such as Shoprite and Spar Arcades has complied with minimum wage directive and some workers confirmed that they are happy with the new conditions of service.

The Minister secretly spoke to workers before their managers came and discovered that most workers are unionized while a few are on short contracts that run for two years.

Shoprite Manager Stefan Kranz said the shopping mall has no problem with the minimum wage and that all workers are given good contracts while a receptionist Molly Kayula told the ZANIS reporter that she is currently getting K1.3 million.

The Minister was happy with shoprite but directed that management should submit the salary schedule and slip to his ministry for proof.

The Minister also visited Sounds stores and Spar at Arcades shopping centre and echoed the same message.

The revised minimum wages have in the recent past sparked debate among employers and employees.

Statutory Instrument Number 45 of 2012 signed by the Minister of Labour, Fackson Shamenda, on July 4, 2012, states that the minimum wage for a person engaged as a general worker, cleaner, handyman, an office orderly, watch person or guard must be K700,000 per month or K3,646 per hour, while a person engaged as a driver must be paid K1,002,386 per month or K5,220 per hour and a Typists or receptionists must be paid not less than K1,085,919 per month or K5, 656 per hour.

And a qualified clerk is supposed to be paid not less than K1, 445,107 per month or K7, 527 per hour.

This means that no employee in Zambia under the categories mentioned should be employed on a salary of less than K700, 000.

Failure to comply with the statutory instrument which is law can attract an imprisonment of about 6 months in prison and a fine.

ZANIS

Finance Minister, Alexander Chikwanda has called for an effective public procurement system which is transparent in order to enhance economic growth and development.

Mr Chikwanda said yesterday when he launched the Standard Bidding Documents in Lusaka that public procurement was a critical component in the management of public resources.

Standard bidding documents, which were part of the on-going reforms in the public sector, were aimed at achieving optimum degree of order in the procurement process as well as reduce bureaucracy and tender processing time.

“It follows that an inefficient and bad procurement system can be a major impediment to growth and development especially that the acquisition of works, goods and services by the public sector have to go through such a system,” he said.

The minister who is chairperson of the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) said it was important that a modern public sector was built on a sound procurement system that was transparent, efficient and corrupt-zero rated.

“More importantly, the procurement system must be an important catalyst in achieving value for money. Hence the need for procurement reforms has become an immediate necessity,” he said.

Mr Chikwanda said the Government had been pushing for the implementation of the decentralisation policy since taking over last year in order to ensure that every citizen accessed public service regardless of the location.

He noted that the enactment of the Public Procurement Act and its regulations now provided a good platform for a decentralised procurement process.

The role of the ZPPA would from January 1, 2013 change as the institution would now assume an oversight and a regulatory role while the procurement function would be decentralised and devolved to procurement entities.

ZPPA recently made an upward revision of thresholds which marked another important chapter in the procurement reforms.

Mr Chikwanda noted that the newly launched measure would rationalize the procurement process and enhance efficiency and effectiveness as well as provide a basis for conducting fair, transparent and credible tender processes.

He applauded the commitment and continued support from cooperating partners as well as the contribution from civil society organisations.