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
Iliko rather
Good Job Minister. Let the implement the minimum wage.Â
So Shoprite and Spar are shopping malls. kuti waseka mwee
My thoughts exactly!
W.A.C.K.E.D ma boss 2day!!! yessssss
Take them to court. Period
#3 tru journalist in KK’s days are gone. even with the internet, our journalists and editors do not know how to wite and edit articles or stories. LT also just does the copy and paste. go to Kalingalinga and you will see those line of tumashops being called shopping malls.
:o these minimum wages should be backdated especially to non compliers
sorry, meant tru journalists..
Zanaco buliding in picture looks better than in reality. Findeco house may be the buliding with the most floors but is not the tallest structure in Zed. The Lafarge pre heater tower at Chilanga beats it. Will come back with numbers.
wAPYA mUNZI
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Ministry of labour needs to employ more labour officers who can prosecute employers who defy the law.Napsa do it.
The Hon Minister and his camera crews should also be checking the Zambian businessmen who think that this law only applies to the foreigners….
Please  LT correct that Shopping mall thing, if it was written once we can understand as a typo but its all over the place. Please write…multinational chain stores like shoprite and Spar….. Please understand that a shopping mall is a shopping centre like Arcades, Manda Hill, Levy Park
Mr.Minister and honourable MPS pls look at this issue of waiting to get Napsa Benefits untill one attains the age of 55yrs.. surely if one is rentrenched at 40yrs will he be waiting for 15yrs to get his money from Napsa? The time i went to NPF i was told that one qualifies to get his money when he attains the age of 50. NPF is defunct already and why wait untill 50yrs? This law must be repealed for life expectancy keeps on reducing.
yes make sure that they comply with the law so that more pf cadres are on the street and will find it even harder to afford mealie meal when they can find it.
Why did the minister not visit the scores of boutiques and shops owned by Zambians? Is he telling me that it is fine for  Zambians to disregard the SI? This implies that it only applies to foreigners.Â
“I am Zambian, so I am allowed to break the law and abuse, mistreat and underpay my fellow Zambians. But you! You are a foreigner, so you, you must comply!”
Selective application at its best. Useless cadre politics.