BY MONDE PHIRI
President Edgar Lungu has directed the Ministry of Labor and social security to engage various stakeholders in the revision of the minimum wage.
President Lungu says there is need for the country to have minimum wage that will be reasonable in order to improve the living standards of workers in the country.
The head of state said that government is aware that some workers in the country are struggling to meet the cost of basic needs but was however quick to state that his government remains committed to improve their welfare.
President Lungu says it is against this background that the baseline survey on the minimum wage has been conducted.
And president Lungu has also observed that the creation of decent jobs still remains a big challenge and called for consented efforts in the creation of quality jobs.
The head of state was speaking when he officiated at the Labor Day commemorations held in Lusaka yesterday under a theme” building partnership for sustainable national development through decent job creation and social justice”.
Meanwhile, President Lungu says government still remains open to dialogue on the recently enacted controversial National Health Insurance Scheme.
President Lungu added that the new law can be subjected to amendments to make it meet the expectations of all the concerned stakeholders.
Speaking earlier at the same event, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) President Chishimba Nkole accused the government of short-circuiting dialogue on issues affecting workers in the country.
Mr. Nkole said it is unfortunate that government has been passing policies that have impacted negatively on workers.
He cited the recently enacted National Health Insurance law as one of the policies that have been hastily passed without the input of the workers representatives.
Ends/mp