Govt should advocate creation of decent jobs-JCTR

Sat, 20 May 2017 10:58:40 +0000

By SANDRA MACHIMA 

THE Government should invest in the creation of decent jobs to enable people earn a decent living, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) media and information officer Tendai Posiana has said.

And JCTR called on the Government to seriously look into having sector specific minimum wages to protect its citizens and ensure decent work for all.

Ms Posiana noted that the recent pronouncements on the need to create decent jobs by President Edgar Lungu would lead to ensuring that more Zambian people found decent jobs that guaranteed protection of their rights. She said JCTR acknowledged the President Edgar Lungu’s pronouncements on the need to create decent jobs and urging his government to actualise the pronouncements.

According to the 2014 Labour Force Survey, 83 percent of Zambians were in the informal sector and 17 percent in the formal sector, and this implied majority of Zambian workers lacked decent jobs. Ms Posiana said JCTR also takes cognisance that even though Zambia had a minimum wage law, there were still implementation challenges that hinder Ministry of Labour from ensuring that this law was fully implemented.  She said the Government attachment to the promotion and realisation of decent work was of great importance.