Simukoko (left), Shamenda (right)

By GETHSEMANE MWIZABI –

TO have decent work plays a huge part reducing poverty.
The concept of decent work has emerged today to become one of the most critical labour related issues confronting employees in workplaces throughout the world. In Zambia, the story is no different.
The problem of casualisation, exploitation and other related labour issues remains a huge problem.
Every now and so often, the Zambian media is flooded with stories of poor working conditions, where workers are subjected to inhuman conditions.
There is no doubt that the idea of decent work is something that too often under estimated as regards to how it affects socio-economic development.
The reality is that working conditions affect one’s way of living and have direct repercussions on one’s life and future.
Access to decent work is the best way young people can realise their aspirations, improve their living conditions and actively participate in society and in the stimulation of the economy.
Now, every worker, young or adult, has the right to decent work. The Zambian Government recognises employment creation as one of its key efforts to reduce poverty in order to promote equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. For this to be a reality, the promotion of equity and social just among Zambians would be necessary.
Youth unemployment remains a key challenge in Zambia. Youths make up over 80 per cent of total unemployment and they lack access to training and effective vocational guidance services that match industry needs.
Child labour has persisted as a source of concern with the child labour rate in 2008 standing at 22.80 per cent. There has been a remarkable improvement in the HIV and AIDS prevalence.
Notwithstanding an increase in access to HIV services among young people and the adult population, especially voluntary counseling and testing services, the uptake to these services remains low.
There are challenges in the labour market in safeguarding the interests and rights of workers and realisation of decent work for the majority of workers as coverage of social security, social dialogue, workers’ rights and minimum wages are limited to formal sector workers, 11.3 per cent of the employed (2012).
Weaknesses in the national legal frameworks and poor enforcement of the laws all hamper efforts to promote workers’ rights and decent work, particularly those of women workers.
The Zambia Decent Work Country Programme (2013-2016) was recently launched where various stakeholders voiced their opinions as possible solutions.
Decent Work Country Programmes are the vehicles through which member States of the International Labour Organization, together with Workers’ and Employers’ Organisations coordinate and effectively implement various programmes and strategies aimed at enhancing Decent Work for All.
Zambia’s second Decent Work Country Programme for the period 2013-2016 is firmly aligned to the country’s revised Sixth National Development Plan and is responsive to the Industrialisation and Job Creation Strategy, making its relevance even more strategic at the highest policy level.
The Tripartite partners have demonstrated their commitment to the process and to the principles that govern the Decent Work Agenda for Zambia with the bid to facilitate labour market governance under a distinct normative framework.
The programme is a coherent and focused programme grounded in national priorities as agreed with constituents and rooted in the national development agenda.
The Government through the Ministry of Labour and social partners with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreed to the priorities and implementation of the ZDWCP to contribute to the promotion of decent in Zambia.
The ZDWCP was crafted by the Tripartite Partners involved in Employment and Labour issues, viz-a-vis the Government, Employers’ and Workers’ organisations, with technical support from the ILO.
Thus it is a result of a national consultative process. The ZDWCP priorities are a reflection of the constituents’ priorities and ensure consistency with national development priorities whilst taking into account elements of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda for Africa.
Labour and Social Security minister Fackson Shamenda emphasised on the need for the Tripartite Partners to continue to receive assistance in the area of capacity building as well as support in order to achieve Decent Work in every corner of the Zambian economy.
“The decent work programme is coherent and focused programme grounded in national priorities as agreed with constituents and rooted in the national development agenda,” he said.
The Zambia Federation of Employers welcomed the Second DWCP as the main vehicle to coordinate, harmonize and align efforts towards the realisation of the Decent Work Agenda in Zambia.
The DWCP is expected contribute to the objectives of the National Development Agenda as articulated in the Revised Sixth National Development Plan through improved, gainful, secure and rights-based employment for youth, women and men.
Furthermore, the DWCP is a framework/tool through which Employers, workers and Government can engage to strengthen Social Dialogue and the promotion of interventions for the benefit of workers and employers.
“As employers, we are hopeful that the ILO Country Office for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique based in Lusaka, ILO’s field structure and the relevant sectors and departments in Geneva, such as ACTEMP and ACTRAV, will play their role in ensuring that the commitment demonstrated by the tripartite partners through this document will be carried out effectively, with the ILO’s support,” said ZFE president Alfred Masupha.
The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ), have fully supported the second Z-DWCP) and pledged to participate in all activities under the strategic objectives in relation to Fundamental Rights and Principles at Work; Employment; Social Protection and Social Dialogue.
The unions, through their representatives Leonard Hikaumba and Joyce Nonde Simukoko hoped the DWCP would strengthen the national development agenda, particularly in the labour market.
ILO Country Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique Martin Clemensson said ILO would continue to support its implementation, monitoring and evaluation in the context of the wider UN Development Assistance Framework.
This would be done by mobilising the necessary technical support within the ILO structure in the field and at its headquarters, and also by drawing on the complementary expertise of other UN agencies in Zambia.
“The ILO wishes to encourage the DWCP’s implementing partners to continue doing their important work to achieve the targets set in this country programme, so that the goal of decent work for all really does become a reality in Zambia,” he said
To sum it all, there are four priorities under the Zambia-DWCP Priorities for 2013-2016, namely:
-Effective Application of fundamental principles and rights at work to support equitable and inclusive economic growth in Zambia.
– Effective social dialogue contributes to sound industrial relations and sustained economic growth in Zambia.
-More and better employment opportunities created, with focus on targeted groups.
-Strengthened social protection systems including enhanced HIV and AIDS work place response.
As the country endeavours to attain the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, there is need for focus on the 2015 agenda to ensure that the DWCP plays a significant role in transforming the economy in order to ensure inclusive participation and reduce income inequalities in Zambia.
Ultimately, decent work can only thrive in an environment in which a commitment exists to the attainment of the highest standards of professional conduct and where workers and employers alike adhere to key workplace principles such as positive attitudes, honesty, performance and good customer service.