LABOUR Minister Fackson Shamenda has said employers should not continue to abuse workers by paying the minimum wage but should pay wages that are proportionate to the amount of work given.
And the minister has said workers across the country were free to protest and air their grievances as long as they did not resort to illegal strikes.
Mr Shamenda said it was clear that workers had been oppressed for a long time and that it was expected that they felt liberated and wanted to publicize their plight.[pullquote]Workers are protesting because they have seen a change in policy and government so where they protest, they are free to do so as long as they do not engage in illegal strikes or affect production[/pullquote]
He said the protests would eventually pass because they represented results of the many under-hand methods used to cheat the Zambian workforce in most companies.
“They are protesting because they have seen a change in policy and government so where they protest, they are free to do so as long as they do not engage in illegal strikes or affect production,” he said.
Mr Shamenda said various companies should not pay poorly because of the low minimum wage requirements stipulated by law.
He said workers should be paid wages that reflect the amount of work they were asked to do.
Mr Shamenda said as part of the review of the minimum wage, his ministry would study various industries and establish how individual industries were performing and what the workers should be getting.
He said companies should award employees according to their capacities and not restrict themselves to paying the minimum wage.
“We cannot have companies giving minimum wage to workers even in mining or hazardous environments, when they have the capacity to pay more,” he said.
[Times of Zambia]
how about Kansashi (mines owned by whites) which I hear has old whites who are from down South and Zimbabwe. A friend worked there during industrial break and was amazed at what jobs whites were doing, eg counting copper rods/cathodes. Hon Shamenda do not limit yourself. i guess if these were visited your targets of employment for all can be met. i am worried that unilaterally the President diercted revision of retirement age? where are you labour minister advise him. How about life expectancy and youth employment issues Vs age of retirement? Nsansa kuchijana, now people like Chikwanda? Nsansa 1st Rep, 2nd, 3rd and now 4th
Chris, what are you doing as a black man working in Canada?
Chris, you too are taking up a job that can be done a Canadian…
SHIIIIIIIIIIIII donchi kubeba……….baisa
#1 Chris. I do not understand your argument here. Are you implying that white people should never do menial jobs in Zambia? I live in the UK. Immigrant Zambians are allowed to do all kinds of jobs which the local people are capable of doing. Can you imagine the uproar if the jobs were given on the basis of colour? Dont be ignorant man.
I feel the argument chris wanted to put across is that we cant have somebody all the way from south africa or australia just to come and count copper cathodes or do other simple jobs not needing any special skills or qualification.These jobs can be done by locals. in the end they end up getting an expatriates salary for doing nothing.we have qualified and capable people to do most jobs and this must be looked it asap.
@ Miner Twendeshe is correct, I don’t know about your country of residence but even I here in the US has worked and got payed hansomely for moving 2 by 4 blanks of wood, i was not even tired but was even made supervisor. My boss made me her cheif assistant in her office by virtue of people skills and I was but a student, the Americans didn’t complain because the respect the rule of work.
PF argued against bringing workers for jobs which Zambians can do. A case in point was Chinese. Let the same apply to other mine investors!
By the way, when are taxes =(paye) going to be reduced? Waiting for more money in my pockets. Too bad HH lost as all my friends in Civil service would be talking about 5million K! More money seems trick as it is too subjective! Is it true that fuel has been reduced tremendously?
hOW CAN YOU BRING AN EXPATRIATE TO COUNT RODS, MOST ZAMBIANS KNOW HOW TO COUNT BY AGE SEVEN SO WHY BRING A 70 YEAR EXPATRIATE TO DO THE COUNTING, THAT IS BEING BRAINLESS
Hon.Shamenda we are already paying the Zambians salaries that are proportionate to their skills (mostly stu.pid.ity and sloganeering) and the work (mostly complaining) they do! Start shaving (everywhere) now Bwana Shamenda you have a job!
how dare u disrespect people. God doesnt like ugly i dont think u would still have the people working for u if their that bad. grow up its time for change and shave or no shave Mr Shamenda will get the job done. and people like u wont get away with mistreating workers anymore.
#3 England is more developed than Zambia and the unempolyment rate is lower than ours,so the locals dont compete with immigarants for menial work.
Really? hahahahahahahaha.
I agree with you Samlindo!
Can someone tell this minister to shave please. Right now he looks like a monkey!!
y u worried abt the ministers looks. how does his looks affect u or help the zambian people his been that way for the longest. He will get the job done which is to help improve the lives of zambians. its sad that u would worry abt such things which just shows how low yr level of thinking is..
@3- Twendeshe. The UK is different and am sure they can not give you a work permit as a Zambian to do manual work. If those whites at Kansashi are Zambians, then they are entitled to work. But with high unemployment, preference should be given to Zambians. I guess even in the UK, this is happening under torries unless you dont understand the British politics.
There is loss of production where is the money to pay these same protesters going to come from coz they are downing their labour and striking.Mr Min do your work fast becoz you promised people better wages and conditions change your minimum wage and let our production continue .Make sure you look closely at all the industries,as an employer you dont expect me to pay 20 employees K5,000,000 each when my turnover is K50,000,000 exclusive of expenditure.Put your ministry in order becoz the money being lost due to these strikes wont help any of us in the end.
Need to review granting of work permits. All countries do that every now and then. It is the legal rights to do the work that matters. if those whites are legally working as counters of copper rods, there’s nothing you can do to stop them, unless you unawfully discriminate them based on colour or race. Which is wrong.
di would like to inform the new minister of home affairs that during mmd goverment there was a lot of big time corruption in the immigration department.During this time lots of illegal indians have settled in Zambia especially in Lusaka and the copperbel and most of these guys has aqqured Zambian citizenships by corrupting top guys in the immigration departments.Some of the local indians has sponsered their relatives especially youngsters on adoption basis and most these sponsors have their own children and those that have been adopted range from 20 years to 35 years of age and many of these illegal guys has even managed to call there sposes as well parents and brothers and sisters.I believe these guys bought Zambian passports for around 25 thosand USD.PF govt must deport them immidiatly
We are leaving out the indians.since october 24,1964. these guys are the worst,they are now hiding behind the chinese,take a look at their premises still occupying the 1913-37 buildings left by cecil rhodes,they cant even build new infrastructure.mr shamenda check this out.
Inkuzi, can we see the infrastructure you have built?
shamenda was a unionist,these things never happened,can u give proper advice to employees,otherwise some industries will close for good,remember Dunlop,Colgate?
Inkuzi, please post a picture of the infrastructure you have built…
Chris # 1, what are you doing in Canada taking up a white man’s job?
@ no# 18 Donchi Kubamba it’s more like the native American’s job hahahahahahaha. Yes we should all be commenting with respect to jobs and humanity.
Ministry of labor is going to be the hardest and most important in Zambia’s now! preset and future. Let’s us thank God that GBM was not the one given the ministry of Labor or Zambia would haver been broke in 90 days.
Very Sad.
The first country in the world where govt calls on workers countrywide to protest against low wages.
This is remarkable; nowhere else in the world will you find this but Africa, and Zambia the real Africa.
This is serious hangover; the president has ‘opposition’ hangover while his minister has a hangover of trade unionism.
They have both forgoten they are in govt.
get your facts right before u comment on issues in zambia. who told u the govt asked workers to strike. you dont know what u talking abt.
Mr Shamenda start with the Chinese,then the Indians and last but not least the Lebanese.About your beard Honourable Minister,CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS.
just because u dont like beards doesnt make them unclean.
with regard to strikes the economy has come to the stand still,with the current government trying to pin the offenders in the former government when are we going to develop because we were promised of development in ninety days waiting to see real change
ni dont kubeba.lastly in Bostwana no foreigner shall do a job that a motswana can do fullu stop
I’AM IN FULL SUPPORT OF # 23
The back starts and stops with corruption in the immigration department. The criteria is clear, workers should only be given Jobs where there are no Zambians to fill the posts Chapwa. The person comparing to the UK is lying. In the uk you can do menial Jobs yes where there are no locals to fill the positions. These areas have quotas for these permits for unskilled Labour and trust me if they had as many unemployed there as they had here those quotas would be shut down.
Shamenda, ur just wasting time, cant u b like yo boss, come up with the figure and every employer will follow.
#22 you r correct about the indian, they are the worst and corrupt chaps. Labour Min you need to check these people. they absue there workers