LAST week, I launched this column by discussing the policy statement by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Mr Fackson Shamenda, which he delivered to the National Assembly on 25th November, 2014, in support of the 2015 expenditure estimates for his ministry.
I indicated that the policy statement was in two parts, and I focused on the first part which looked at the performance of the ministry during the first three years of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government.
The second part outlines the policy focus for the ministry for 2015, but before I get there, I will look at the other milestones scored since 2011.
Through issuance of Statutory Instrument No. 1 of 2014, Government lifted the exemptions that Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Copper Mines enjoyed by not contributing to the National Pensions Scheme Authority.
The exemptions had the danger of excluding some categories of employees such as those engaged on short-term contractual basis from social security coverage.
The lifting of the exemption also led to the fair and equal treatment of investors by Government and was meant to motivate compliance with the National Pension Scheme Act by other employers.
In line with the PF administration’s motto of ‘Putting more money in the pockets of the people’, the Government adjusted the Minimum Wage upwards in 2012 to ensure that workers were paid decent wages.
There were other progressive decisions made to motivate workers. Government, through the introduction of the single spine salary structure in the public sector, adjusted the salaries of all public sector workers upwards, so that the lowest paid worker got above K3, 000 per month.
In addition, Government effectively abolished casualisation in the public sector by upgrading all classified daily employees to permanent and pensionable work.
It is worth noting that between October, 2011 and October, 2014, a total of 457, 595 jobs were created in various sectors of the economy.
This provides useful evidence that Government is well on course in achieving one of its short-to-medium term macroeconomic objectives of creating one million formal jobs by the end of 2015.
During the period under review, Government managed to carry out two comprehensive national labour force surveys. The first one was conducted in 2012 and a report was produced.
In order to stay current with the evolving labour market, the ministry embarked on another survey and a report will be produced this year.
Elsewhere, the creation of new districts and the accompanying infrastructure development has allowed the ministry to take labour services closer to the people.
It was a monumental effort to open field offices in the new districts. Government employed 58 labour officers and inspectors between 2013 and 2014, in addition to the 52 officers before this step was taken.
This was a boost in the capacity of the ministry to conduct regular labour inspections and enhance enforcement of the labour laws.
In addition, Government re-introduced public employment exchange services in all the provincial centres of the country, besides launching an online jobs portal to complement the public employment exchange services.
Important strides have also been made in cementing ties between Government and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The late President Michael Sata accepted an invitation to address the international labour conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2012.
In a reciprocal gesture, the ILO Director General, Mr Guy Ryder visited Zambia the following year.
This strong relationship is critical as Government and ILO are jointly implementing the Decent Work Agenda in Zambia.
The ILO Regional Director for Africa, Mr Aeneas Chuma has visited Zambia thrice since 2013 in order to enhance collaborative efforts in the implementation of the Decent Work Agenda in Zambia and Africa as a whole.
Another milestone for the ministry has been the enhancement of social dialogue, while industrial relations have become more harmonious than before.
The tripartite consultative labour council meetings were held regularly and continued to be an important forum for discourse on issues relating to labour and manpower development in Zambia.
The ministry reaffirmed Government’s commitment to social dialogue by visiting all the social partners this year.
Let me now look at the policy focus for 2015.
The budgetary allocation to the ministry has been increased from K42.55 million in 2014 to K47.92 million in 2015, reflecting a rise of 12.6 per cent.
With these resources, the ministry intends to prioritise the strengthening of capacity to achieve decent work.
One of the major challenges the Ministry of Labour and Social Security faces has been inadequate capacity for effective labour administration. This is in terms of human resources and equipment.
As a good example, the ministry has an insufficient number of motor vehicles. In addition, labour and factory inspectors are not enough to cover the whole country.
This is due to expansion in economic activities and the subsequent increase in the number of work places to be inspected.
There is a need, therefore, to strengthen the provincial offices by upgrading the structures for them to adequately deal with labour matters.
This will result in the added benefit of allowing the headquarters to concentrate on providing policy guidance.
Provision has been made in the 2015 budget for the recruitment of three assistant labour commissioners and seven principal labour officers.
Provinces with higher economic activities will be headed by assistant labour commissioners while the rest of the provinces will be headed by principal labour officers.
Furthermore, provision has been made for recruitment of eight additional senior factory inspectors in the provinces.
Budgetary support to labour inspections has increased from K2.35 million in 2014 to K3.99 million in 2015, reflecting an increase of 70 percent.
This is an indication of Government’s resolve to ensure enforcement and adherence to the labour laws by employers countrywide.
Dear readers, next week I will look at the labour law reforms. Let us keep our link open.
(This column is an initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. For comments or questions, email info@mlss.gov.zm or niza12001@yahoo.com)