Transforming The Economy Through Job Creation, Labour Law Reform, Better Conditions Of Service And Improved Work Culture

It is that time of the year again when workers across the globe commemorate this very important day. Year in year out, the commemorations have been premised on various themes to help the nations critically focus and reflect on the special day. With the many themes that have been churned out over the years, key thoughts arise on the influence they have on policy makers, employers, workers and the general masses. Are they just themes in name or they are there to help identify pointers to specific challenges that need attention? This year’s theme is dubbed ‘Transforming the economy through job creation, labour law reform, better conditions of service and improved work culture’. The theme appears loaded but it is probably one of the most practical and comprehensive themes coined in a very long time. The theme challenges the Government, Employers, Unions and the Zambian work force on which economic transformation is anchored on. It clearly reminds these keys stakeholder on the important roles they play to achieve economic transformation.

In understanding the specific challenges this theme brings to the stakeholders, it is obviously imperative to underscore the fact that the Zambian economy has undergone massive restructuring and growth over a long period of time in a bid to stabilize it for the benefit of the general population. The growth and stabilization has lead improvements in the quality of life. However, more work still remains to be done if the economy has to grow further to have a positive trickle down effect to the rest of the Zambian population. It has been widely acknowledged that today, Zambia’s biggest challenge is unemployment. Without delving much into the other social and economic offshoots of the challenges of unemployment, it is understood and appreciated that various measures to mitigate the shocks of unemployment have been undertaken by the Government. Though unemployment continues to be a burdensome and time consuming process, the drive to ensure that quality employment is created in order to generate wealth is equally gaining momentum through economic restructuring and implementation of projects such as the Link 8000 and 2000 road projects, the revitalization of Zambian Railways, Nitrogen Chemicals and indeed the impending reopening of Mulungushi Textiles among others. 

The bedrock of employment creation should essentially be implementation of concrete wealth creation programmes that would grow and transform the economy for wealth to be created.  This also entails active participation in economic activities that promote self suffiency as the current labour market cannot absorb the entire population into formal employment. To this effect, there are economic questions that require answers from the leadership and the general citizenry on how with concerted efforts the economy can be reinvigorated to sustainably levels through their efforts. This is supposed to be the starting point of our reflection on this year’s labour theme.

 This theme also highlights the important aspect reforming labour laws to ensure that they are responsive to the needs and dynamics of the labour market. The Zambian labour market is constantly changing in the face of the many economic trends that are taking place.  With these key changes, it also entails that we constantly pay attention to the trends for Zambia to have labour law reforms that are relevant to the employers and employees. The key legislative pieces currently managing the Zambian labour market include the Employment Act, Cap 268, Industrial and Labour Relations Act, Cap 269, Factories Act, Cap 441, NAPSA Act, Workman’s Compensation Act, No 10 of 1999 ZIHRM Act No. 11 of 1997, Conditions of Employment and Minimum wages Act, Cap 270, Employment of Young Persons and Children Act, Cap 274 and obviously some International Labour Conventions that have been ratified and domesticated. I may not be in a position to clearly state which of these laws require reformation but in a nut shell these laws are that manage and provide direction to the labour market. It but it is important that lacunas in their administration are identified and reformed to ensure that they are become relevant and help transform the workforce and in the long run transform the Zambian economy. 

One of the fundamental pieces of legislation that has not been bundled with the other laws that the Patriotic Front Government needs to revise and reform is the Apprenticeship Act. This act should provide a national systematic involvement of the youth into entrepreneurship through apprenticeship. Once the Act is revised it should be responsive to the current needs of the youth as one on the many interventions to achieving economic transformation. In addition Internship should become a mandatory function of any organization to ensure that the Youth are availed an opportunity to gain experience in business and industry. The strengthening of this Act should further be backed by an undertaking to create a National Skills Inventory (NSI) to ensure that the country takes stock of the skills available on the Labour Market and also deliberately monitor the quality of jobs available on the market. The national skills inventory will assist Government project and predict the areas were particulars skills are required.

So far, the Government has lived up to the theme by ensuring that the Zambian worker is paid a living wage through the issuance of the statutory instruments on the minimum wages in various sectors of the labour market. Under the circumstances, this is how far the government can go and it is a very commendable move. On the other hand, workers in various cannot afford to demand for more wages without anything to show for it. The Governments token action should be repaid with a workforce that is totally committed to going an extra mile to improve productivity at work places. Zambians are generally hardworking people but in recent times, their work culture has come under the spotlight particularly the public service whose performance falls far below the people’s expectations. The perception has even gone further to suggest the public service appears to have taken the route of ‘self-service’ and not ‘public service’.  It is a well-known fact that self-service can be very distractive as the person who serve themselves become gluttonous and forget to serve others.  These perceptions are correct in certain instances where civil servants who are supposed be the engine of the economic development have been caught either reporting for work late, drunk or not even reporting at all. It is instances such as these that bring into question whether the credibility of the workers charged with the responsibility of turning government policies into tangible programmes that not only the benefit general populace but themselves are fit to hold those positions. There is need to philosophically change the mind-set of the Zambian workers so that they constantly improve sustained productivity which eventually opens doors to improved conditions of service. Which employer would not be willing to improve conditions of service for his or her employees if they are putting in their level best and delivering on their institutions mandate? There are several examples of both foreign and Zambian employers that remunerate their employees well based on performance. Employers who show traits should be recognized and used as models of best practices to the rest of the employers.  

Therefore, as the Zambian workers commemorate this very important day, they should not only be excited at wearing a new suit but they should reflect on what contribution they have made to the transformation of the Zambian economy. They should further reflect on the fact that Zambia’s economic transformation largely depends on their productivity to achieve tangible transformation. It is high time the Zambian worker both in the private and public sector put Zambia’s interests first before theirs and they should never at any point downplay the role they play in the whole process of social and economic transformation of the country.