By Staff Writer
Labour Minister Joyce Simukoko has warned investors to desist from enslaving workers.
Ms Simukoko said that she would not allow both local and foreign investors to subject employees to slavery working conditions.
She said foreign investors dehumanizing workers would be ejected from Zambia while local investors would see deregistration.
Opening a tripartite Consultative Labour council on the minimum wage in Lusaka today, Ms Simukoko expressed sadness with working conditions in some firms.
She said recently she visited some firms where workers are working under inhuman condition.
Such firms have since been summoned to her office.
She has appealed to the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) to be more concerned with the plight of workers as they deliberate on the minimum wage which has not been increased since 2012.
The Minister said government undertook a minimum wage survey with Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research for different sectors and findings will be discussed during the consultations.
Meanwhile the Labour Minister says government will not condone companies denying their employees from forming unions.
She has also revealed that a Statutory Instrument on formulation of various sector minimum wages will soon be issued and will cover the media and the agriculture sectors following concerns of poor working conditions.
And ZFE President Wesley Chishimba has commended the Ministry for being true to the consultative process.
However, Mr Chishimba is concerned that the minimum wage has not been adjusted for a long time despite changes in the economy.
And Zambia Congress of Trade Unions President Nkole Chishimba says workers have lost about 41percent of real income between 2012 and 2017 owing to economic deterioration.
