Govt intervenes in prolonged work stoppage
By ANDREW MUKOMA
THE Ministry of Labour and Social Security has intervened in an effort to resolve a strike that has lasted 14 days from the first day workers downed tools at Sinohydro ZESCO project based at Kafue Gorge Lower in Chikankata, Southern Province.
Speaking during a dispute resolution, Labour Commissioner, Givens Muntengwa directed Synohydro management to pay workers an agreed covid quarantine allowance to all employees who never received this incentive from March, 2020.
Mr Muntengwa mentioned that the company should ensure that all employees are incentivized from the first day they were quarantined due to the COVID-19 pandemic to the time measures were lifted.
He revealed that the Tripartite Consultative Labour Council, resolved and came up with conditions that all employers intending to quarantine employees must satisfy before quarantining workers.
Among the resolutions was that incentivizing workers for staying within the company premises, employers were directed to provide decent accommodation for quarantined employees and also every place meant for quarantining employees must be inspected by Ministry of Health and certified before workers can be accommodated.
Additionally, Mr Muntengwa has fined Sinohydro company 100,000 penalty units translating to (K30, 000) for failing to register with his office as an employer as per requirement by section 63 of the Industrial and Labour Relations Act.
On the other hand, the Labour Commissioner took time to educate workers on procedures involved before going on strike.
He advised workers that if not satisfied with what the company was offering, they were at liberty to appoint a conciliator to help with the bargaining process.
The Labour Commissioner was accompanied by Chikankata Acting District Commissioner, Choi Siabamba, Labour Officers and ZESCO representation.
And as a result of this resolution, Sinohydro Company, Human Resource Manager, Yueng, revealed before the Labour Commissioner that the company has with immediate effect increased the salaries across the board from K5.43 to K5.88 per hour.
This is according to a statement released to the Daily Nation by Joseph Chinyama, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Public Relations Unit.
Govt intervenes in prolonged work stoppage
