Repeal draconian labour law - Saasa
GOVERNMENT must immediately repeal the draconian Employment Code Act number 3 of 2019 because it is injurious, Premier Consult Limited has said.
Company Chief Executive Officer Professor Oliver Saasa said government should not go ahead to implement the law on May 12, 2020 because there was need for it to be looked into to have the interest of both
GOVERNMENT must immediately repeal the draconian Employment Code Act number 3 of 2019 because it is injurious, Premier Consult Limited has said.
Company Chief Executive Officer Professor Oliver Saasa said Government should not go ahead to implement the law on May 12, 2020 because there was need for it to be looked into to have the interest of both employers and employees.
Prof Saasa said it was important to suspend it then institute a task force team which would include experts to review the Act.
He said at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, the legislation be suspended then revert to the old Labour law during the review process.
Prof Saasa said the law in its current form was premature because it does not consider the interest of the employers neither of the employees.
Prof Saasa who is also Vice Chancellor at Mulungushi University, said amid Covid -19 the legislation was injurious especially to the employers who had been stressed financially.
He also said that there was no sufficient consultation on the impact the new law would have to the economy.
If consultations were conducted many stakeholders would have rendered advice to government what impact it will have to many, he said.
"The Employment Code Act (ECA) has introduced significant complications to labour and employment legislation in Zambia, which calls for urgent introspection before this piece of legislation begins to seriously affect growth prospects.
Zambia subscribes to the tenets of the Sustainable Development Goals that seeks to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people and that targets the protection of labour rights and promotion of safe and secure working environments for all workers.
In attempting to adhering to these canons, the enactment of the Employment Code Act (ECA) in 2019 has clearly altered the employment law landscape in the country by codifying certain principles of employment that were previously just best practice and, in the process, introduced several complications and challenges that are not in the best interest of employees, employers and the larger economy," he said.
And former Minister of Finance Felix Mutati said there room to suspend the legislation and review it.
He urged stakeholders come up with a strategy on how to have input for the legislation to be repealed.
Mr Mutati said during this period there some issues which could be overlooked because of financial stress among employers.