SP WELCOMES REVISED MINIMUM WAGES
…implores Government to Improve the private sector if employers are to afford better Salaries
Lusaka, Tuesday, December 27, 2022 (Smart Eagles)
The Socialist Party (SP) has charged that the upward revision in minimum wage will not yield much under the UPND government.
SP Spokesperson Frank Bwalya has attributed his stance to the high cost of living that Zambians are grappling with.
He said in an interview that many Zambians will continue to get peanuts under the current administration.
The former Zambia’s Ambassador to Australia also frowned on the increments that civil servants were recently awarded saying they are “a drop in the ocean.”
Meanwhile, Bwalya suggested that the only possible solution is implementing policies that are going to improve the economy, especially in the private sector.
“The reason is very simple that with the joblessness that we have and may people who employ majority of people in the informal sector not being able to afford to pay the revised minimum wage will simply say to the people that they have employed that I can’t pay you, it’s up to you to stay or to leave,” he said.
“And majority of our people who are usually not represented decide to keep their job, being paid less than the minimum wage. Therefore, the solution to our people getting peanuts is implementing policies that are going to improve the economy, especially the private sector so that when people get good pay will employ people in the informal sector, domestic sectors and so on…when they get better pay, then they will be able to afford paying those that they employ better salaries that will be in line with minimum wage prescribed by the country.”
And Bwalya explained that socialism is the only way out as far as economic challenges are concerned.
“As Socialist Party, we acknowledge the reality that we have a government that is capitalist. And people know that capitalism is about greed, it’s about profit maximization, it’s about selfishness, therefore we are not hopeful that our people under the New Dawn Government are going to see better conditions of service for themselves, those that work in the formal sector, domestic workers and so on, we are not optimistic,” he said.
“This is a capitalist government and many businesses are going to take after them, prioritizing profit maximization. For this reason, we urge the Zambian people to see that the solution to these problems is socialism.”
He further tipped Zambians that socialism is about equity, justice, common ownership of means of production and that people can benefit from economic gains equitably.
Mr Bwalya said Socialism is not about a few becoming too rich while the majority are becoming too poor, having nothing to live on without a dignified life.
