Bus drivers welcome salary increment, worry if employers will afford

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Bus drivers welcome salary increment, worry if employers will afford

BUS drivers have welcomed the salary increment of all passenger buses from the minimal wage of K2,200 to K3,000 by government, effective April 10 this year.



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On Thursday, minister of Labour and Social Security, Brenda Tambatamba announced the increment in the minimal wage of public service vehicles (PSV) bus drivers, and also that of truckers.

Speaking in an interview with Kalemba on behalf of bus drivers, Bus and Taxi Drivers Association of Zambia secretary general, Sydney Mbewe said the drivers welcome the salary increment, thanking government for considering them during the harsh economy.



“It is a good thing and we are very happy. But despite that, we are worried if our employers will be able to afford to pay us above K3,000. We feel that government did not put into consideration other factors,” Mbewe said.

He said currently, PSV drivers on Lusaka routes operating from bus stations have been given a minimum cashing amount of K500 per day, an amount they fail to manage sometimes due to some factors.



“We are just sited in the station because it’s hard to have a full bus because we have a lot of illegal busses that load passengers from the roads and government is not regulating them. Our day to day cashing is K500 but we fail to make it. We also have payments to pay for the buses that operate within the station while we also have to maintain the vehicles almost daily.


“Our fear is that our employers won’t afford to pay the salaries.  Because the buses are coming out of the stations with half capacity.


They need to protect the public transport sector within the country so we do not have people taking advantage of the business,” Mbewe told Kalemba.

By Buumba Mwitumwa

Kalemba January 20, 2025

2 COMMENTS

  1. That is the Governments minimum wage and should be adhered to, When I become labor minister, I shall follow every one that does not follow labor laws

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