By NAMO PHIRI
GOVERNMENT has started reviewing the minimum wages and conditions of employment for domestic workers, Ministry of Labour and Social Security Permanent Secretary, Chanda Kaziya has said.
Mr Kaziya said Government had scored on the minimum wage because it had been revised twice already.
He said the ministry commenced with the process of looking at the minimum wages and that progressed had been made.
“A document has already been prepared to look at how we can generally look at the issue of minimum wages,” he said.
Mr Kaziya said the law prescribed that there shall be periodic reviews of the minimum wage settings.
“In the law it is prescribed that there will be periodic reviews of the minimum wage settings, which means that often we sit down in a tripartite format and review and if research and consultation shows that there is need for adjustments then adjustments are made but it has to be agreed in a tripartite format,” he said
Mr Kaziya said that the standard procedure was that reviews be made every after two years.
He said the minimum wages case also includes sectors such as truck drivers, general workers and shopkeepers.
Mr Kaziya said the process was initially done every after two years which means it has to be done by September 2021, but it might be slow and take longer because of the fact that other parties also have to be involved and consulted.
Mr Kaziya stated that the ministry has started looking into the mining sector and are engaging other stakeholders involved as directed by the president during his speech on Labour Day.
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