Cost of living still  too high -ZCTU

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 10:42:49 +0000

By OSCAR MALIPENGA

THE cost of living in Zambia is too high, raising minimum wages and expanding social protection to capture the most vulnerable in society is part of the solution, Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) president Chishimba Nkole has said.

Mr. Nkole has since asked over 50 workers unions affiliated to ZCTU to come up with proposals that will ensure the 2018 national budget responds to the needs of workers across Zambia.

Speaking during the ZCTU pre-budget consultative workshop, Mr. Nkole reminded the participants from different unions consider including expansion of social protection coverage to all vulnerable groups.

He said workers needed to consider proposals that will help the labour movement participate effectively in monitoring the implementation of the national budget. “We urge the government to expedite the labour law reforms process in order to strengthen our national dialogue structures to effectively project the plight of workers in Zambia.

“We know that there are renewed efforts to conclude the labour law reform process and as usual we would love that the process will be carried forward with the involvement of all social partners,” Mr. Nkole said.

He said ZCTU had been engaging IMF in routine consultation and leant that it would always come with a preconceived position which they (IMF) would always defend.

“The onus therefore is on the Zambians to drive our own development agenda without external influence.

“We also observe that despite the mining sector being the mainstay of Zambia’s economy, it can only employ 90,000 people while the agricultural sector employs over 3 million people,” he said.

Mr. Nkole said there was need for diversifying the economy in order to fight the informality, inequality and reduce poverty among the working population.

He said Zambia cannot continue depending on copper mining at the expense of other productive sectors and urged the unions to consider making proposals that were consistent with the need for Zambia to diversify the economy.