ZAMBIA will tomorrow join other countries in celebrating Labour Day, which is a day set aside in honour of labour.
This is a day of festivities held to recognise working people, in many countries on May 1, and in the United States of America and Canada on the first Monday in September.
Labour Day is commemorated on the fourth Monday of October in New Zealand and with varying dates in the various states of Australia.
Despite the different dates on which it is observed, the central goal is to celebrate labour and to motivate people taking part in all types of work.
One of the famous quotes by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr best describes work.
“No work is insignificant. All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
But while this may be the ideal principle about labour, I am not sure about how many workers in Zambia embrace Labour Day.
This is because many are experiencing hardships in many forms and varying degrees. For example, there are some workers in factories and bakeries who lack protective clothing while their work environments are poorly ventilated.
Others are denied food in spite of working for many hours, as still many others are locked inside their work places.
Some ‘bosses’ use the deeply flawed argument that workers who are given freedom tend to steal company property, and yet they have the resources to put up appropriate security measures.
What of guards whose shifts are not properly explained and yet they get paid peanuts for the work they do?
I am aware of some workers in the hospitality and other industries who are blocked by their employers from either forming or joining trade unions.
This means such workers are denied an opportunity to bargain for salaries and conditions of service that would fit their qualifications and would also make them feel appreciated.
There is also the unsettling subject of casualisation that has rocked many companies where some workers have gone for as many as five years without being offered permanent jobs.
Many employers are taking advantage of the desperation in job seekers to behave as they please.
Others also know that a good number of workers in Zambia are ignorant about their rights, and they sadly keep them locked up in miserable conditions of service.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is, however, not sitting by idle while these abuses against workers are taking place.
It is pleasing that Government has proposed a Bill aimed at abolishing casualisation in the country by June this year.
Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda says Government will not allow any employer to exploit workers by awarding them short, and often ambiguous, contracts which are terminated at the pleasure of the employers.
It is good that there is a careful balance between stepping up investments and ensuring that the jobs being created are of good quality, and the workers are fairly remunerated.
The Labour department is also stepping up its inspectorate function to ensure that no worker is exploited.
Workers too are encouraged to be chief labour inspectors by reporting any errant employers to the Department of Labour.
Zambia has also stated that it is committed to pursuing policy objectives such as the green jobs which will ensure sustainable development and creation of decent jobs.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Miles Sampa says the Zambian Government, in partnership with United Nations (UN) agencies and the Finnish Government, is implementing the Zambia Green Jobs programme.
Mr Sampa was recently in New York where he participated in a panel discussion at the UN Economic and Social Council 2015 integration segment on achieving sustainable development through employment creation and decent work for all.
That sits well with the theme for this year’s Labour Day, which is ‘Promoting national economic growth through job creation, free collective bargaining and respect of workers’ rights’.
There is no doubt that with such efforts, Zambia will make the lives of workers more meaningful, and the commemoration of Labour Day will thus be appreciated.
Complaints about workplace discrimination when it comes to awarding deserving workers must also be addressed.
Some people argue that some individuals often appear on lists of those to be honoured on May Day, and they wonder how possible that is.
Similarly, some workers are ever being selected to take part in Labour Day celebrations and, therefore, benefit from such incentives as the attire bought for those marching.
Yes, this has been a source of conflict in some workplaces and I agree that workers must be rewarded on merit and not because they have links with some senior officials.
These are some of the practices that have exposed Labour Day to ridicule and are disrupting and dividing the world of work.
Additionally, all categories of workers must be considered for prizes because a company cannot exist without the services of, for instance, office assistants, who in some places are called office orderlies.
For this reason, I would like to end this week’s column by saluting all those who have written to seek information on domestic workers.
In the last three weeks, I have discussed various issues regarding domestic workers, which include wages, leave, hours of work, and other privileges.
What has particularly encouraged me from the feedback I have received is that some readers have sought to learn about labour and employment beyond the subject I tackled.
I will reproduce some of the letters I have received.
Morning, Please help me understand how to compute benefits for a deceased employee. Is there any laid down rule like an S.I? This particular worker was a painter and worked for 10 years. He had contract running concurrently every year. (They are given renewable one-year contracts). He could be classified as a general worker. What’s your advice?
Thank you for your help. Gabbie Bwalya
Mr Bwalya, I appreciate your mail. Kindly be informed that the experts at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security will soon provide an answer for you.
Good morning, could you e-mail me the Statutory Instrument (SI) No.3 of 2011 which stipulates minimum wages and conditions of employment for domestic workers. Also the minimum wages and conditions of employment as contained in SI No.45 of 2012 for Domestic Workers. Thank you. Mrs. Nina Sickels.
Charles, could you possibly send me figures regarding minimum wages. What should the salary be for a domestic house worker and gardener? House worker living in three rooms, one kitchen and bathroom flat on premises with family. Please assist me in this matter. Thanks again.
Thank you Mrs Sickels. There is no provision for housing allowance for domestic workers. The only entitlement is the K422 minimum basic pay and K102 transport allowance.  It is assumed the employer will be kind enough to give them lunch. But it is also up to the employer to pay more if they appreciate the work that their domestics are performing.
Good afternoon Mr Charles Simengwa, I saw your article about entitlements for domestic workers in the Times of Zambia of today.
However, my interest is in the PPE for casual workers who are laid off due to reduced volume of work. Is the company that hired them legally allowed to demand the return of safety shoes and work suits before paying the casual workers their wages?
I need your urgent reply because there are some casuals I know that have been instructed to hand in the attire that they had been wearing for a period of six weeks before they can be cleared to get their separation wages next week.
Advise, if need be quote or attach the relevant labour instrument that supports or not this demand by an employer. My concern is who will use this used attire in view of various skin diseases? Simon Nyirenda.
Mr Nyirenda, thank you for your mail. In the case of PPEs, they belong to a company because they are supposed to be used in the workplace.
So the workers should just hand in the PPEs and get their separation packages. It could be that the employer is using the PPEs as some form of security like the security we pay when we rent a house.  When you vacate, you leave the premises as you found them before a refund is given.  It’s along the same lines.
Dear readers, let us keep this link open as we share matters on labour and employment.
(This column is an initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. For comments or questions, email info@mlss.gov.zm orniza12001@yahoo.com)