Majority of Zambezi employers not paying minimum wage

This information was shared with the parliamentary standing committee on poverty eradication, labour and industrial relations during an oversight visit. Mushaukwa highlighted that employers often claim they cannot afford to pay the minimum wage without firing staff. Additionally, many employers are not paying correct overtime rates for work on Sundays, public holidays, or after hours.

Unfair dismissals are also prevalent, with employers often firing staff without following proper disciplinary procedures, which Mushaukwa attributes to a lack of awareness regarding the labour act among both employers and employees. The parliamentary standing committee, chaired by Justina Jonas, also discovered that some Chinese shops were paying below minimum wage, employing staff without contracts, and failing to comply with occupational health and safety standards. The committee instructed the labour inspector to investigate these non-compliance issues.

Stakeholders also informed the committee about private security companies failing to pay guards on time and the challenge of having only one labour inspector in the region, who has been in the role for three months, to address numerous labour issues.