By Patson Chilemba
We all have our job descriptions, but if Miles’ tells him that he is a freelancer so be it, says Labour minister Joyce Nonde Simukoko.
And Simukoko said the interest of the Ministry of Labour is not to embarrass anyone even where they have violated the law.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the attacks Lusaka mayor Miles Sampa has faced from the government, even apologising for having closed a Chinese restaurant for discriminating against Zambians, Simukoko said employee and employer relations were always supposed to be handled with care, as that was what labour laws stipulated.
“If you look at the laws they are not punitive, they encourage reconciliation so we don’t want to, even as a Ministry we need to work with the employers in a decent way, we have to work with the workers in a decent way and we are not saying there will no be problems. There will be always problems, sometimes people violate the laws even then the laws tell us what to do with that person who has violated the law,” Simukoko said. “But we need to work together, we don’t need to belittle anyone and fight anyone or put any person in an embarrassing situation, that is not our role as a Ministry of Labour.”
Asked if she was implying that the Chinese were belittled in this instance, Simukoko claimed that she had not seen the video clip of the incident, but advised that people should get in touch with her Ministry on labour related matters. She said the interest was not to embarrass anyone.
“I would advise everybody that when they find a labour issue please get in touch with us, we even have a toll line 7010, get in touch with us because as a Ministry we have inspectors who have been trained on how to handle grievances from workers, on how to handle grievances from the employers,” Simukoko said. “Our interest is not to embarrass anyone, even where they have violated the law we take them, if they have to pay penalties they pay but our interest as a Ministry of Labour is to make sure that the worker and the employer continue working together in harmony. So that’s our way of handling things.”
On observations that Sampa was acting within his own right as mayor of the city, Simukoko responded: “Well I don’t know what you mean because we all have our job description so we talk to it. So if the job description tells him that he’s a freelancer so be it. So I can’t comment on that one because I haven’t seen his job description.”
On the Whatsapp messages that have gone viral where she allegedly spoke ill of Sampa over his actions, Simukoko said this was the first time she was talking about the matter, saying those linking her to the Whatsapp messages were just being sadists.
She said she had known Sampa for a long time and would have simply discussed the matter with him without resorting to discussing it with others.
“I have never, never never, I don’t even know how to do a Whatsapp,” Simukoko said, whose one of the numbers is however on Whatsapp. “If I am going to find anything and I check who they are just tell them I will hand them over to the police because I know the numbers show there.”
Simukoko said she did not understand what pleasure people found in making others fight.
“So I don’t like to see our mayor being used, so the mayor has written to us and we are going to see what he has written,” Simukoko said. “So let us leave this matter, we have more important things to discuss…what people want is food on the table.”
On reports that Zambian workers were being locked in Chinese business premises, Simukoko accused Zambians of playing double standards as they had consented and assented to the arrangement and had been paid money for that.
Simukoko said she was satisfied with the standards at some of the places visited.
“But for those employers who are doing that, if we find that they are doing that they will be in problems,” said Simukoko.