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MEETING BASIC NEEDS WITH A JUST WAGE: A CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUE

by

Peter Henriot

What does the “Make Poverty History” campaign mean for Zambia?  Did the G-8 meeting really make any difference?  Will reaching the HIPC completion point be a “high” or a “hiccup” for most of our citizens?  These important questions need some good analysis and clear answers in the days ahead.

But one thing is very evident at this moment, and that is that the issues of employment, contracts, wages and conditions are really burning issues for all Zambians, whether they have jobs or not.  The importance of employment has been highlighted in the just-released CRC draft Constitution for Zambia, where the Bill of Rights explicitly states the right to  “fair remuneration, equal work for equal pay, and to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions” (Article 66).  And it is clear that the National Development Plan (NDP) currently being prepared will be judged strongly on whether or not its policies effectively generate good jobs for our people.

Wages and Needs

Take the question of wages as a key entry point into this matter.  The pages of THE POST last week were full of discussions about wages paid to workers in this country and the effect this has had on households.  The press release accompanying the JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket (BNB) for June revealed that once again a gross disparity exists between income on one hand and cost of living on the other.  For a Lusaka family of six (plus the inevitable several dependents) the cost of the BNB stood at K1,349,650.  But take home pay for teachers and secretaries in the civil service ranged from K400,000 to K900,000; for constables and chief inspectors in the Police Service from 375,000 to 675,000; and for casual and contract workers in a large multi-national supermarket from K120,000 to K400,000.

How do the families of these workers survive?  Well, without some other source of income in the household, the immediate consequence for the family is to cut back on the nshima, cut down on the ndiwo, and cut out the nyama.  No wonder malnutrition, especially among children, is so high in Zambia.

In the press release that accompanied the June BNB, the JCTR called for all employers of labour, whether foreign investors, government, local businesses or informal employers, to respect the inherent dignity of their employees by valuing the work they do and compensating them justly.  That is simply a re-expression of the Bill of Rights guarantee in the draft Constitution!

Unrealistic and Political?

But this call did not ring well with one high-placed government official who complained to the press that the JCTR was not serious in its demand that government should pay better wages to its workers.  Such a call was termed either unrealistic or political or both!  There is no doubt that such a call is political – meaning that it has policy implications in terms of priorities, programmes and preferences.  To say that government cannot promote better wages is to admit that government can’t govern, a sad admission, indeed.

But is the BNB unrealistic?  Should we stop talking about decent wages, a minimum wage, a “fair remuneration” (to use the words of Article 66)?  No, we need to keep the pressure on all employers – government, the private sector, the church, NGOs, embassies, etc. – to respect the dignity of Zambian workers.  The BNB offers a realistic guideline to evaluate current wages and provides a clear target to bring about better future wages.  That the BNB cannot be met today doesn’t mean we should not try to meet it tomorrow!

The consequence of not meeting the BNB was highlighted in a story quoting a United Nations official based in Lusaka who attributed the very destructive “brain drain” to the poor wages paid professionals.  Nurses in London, teachers in Botswana, doctors in USA: these Zambians are needed back home if we are ever to develop.  It surely makes no sense for government to pay non-Zambians high wages to replace Zambians it pays low wages!

An Ethical Issue

“Fair remuneration” as mentioned in the draft Constitution is not simply an economic or political issue.  Rather it is a fundamental moral and ethical issue.  As Muweme Muweme stated in the JCTR press release, “The Zambian worker will not be free from injustice until employers are simultaneously motivated by prudent government regulations and a moral obligation to respect workers in their role as co-creators with God and where workers in return demonstrate responsibility, creativity and hard work.”  

Of course this issue is not only a matter of challenging government.  We have seen in the past few weeks the disgraceful revelation of what casualisation of Zambian workers can mean.  The managers of the Chambishi explosive factory appeared not even to know how many daily workers it employed, though it subsequently became known how cheaply they employed them.  The on-going public dispute between both casual and contract workers and the management of a well-known South African-based supermarket raises again the ethics and values of foreign investors who are welcomed into Zambia.  

This whole discussion is another example of how important it is for Zambians to become involved in the constitutional debates over the next few months.  As we move toward a Constituent Assembly and a new Republican Constitution before the 2006 elections (as we surely will!), it will be “bread and butter” or “nshima and soup” issues like wages that must be debated and decided.  Some politicians have said that the Constitution is not a burning issue for most Zambians.  Let these politicians talk to ordinary citizens about meeting the basic needs basket and they will have a truer picture of the importance of a good, comprehensive, people-driven Constitution with a Bill of Rights that embraces real life!  

The high-powered agenda that occupied the G-8 leaders who met last week in Scotland focused on debt, trade and aid, all extremely important issues for Zambia’s future development.  But unless we put in place – in constitutional clauses, contractual agreements and personal commitments – a profound respect for workers and their rights, integral development will never be possible in this country.    The JCTR’s Basic Needs Basket highlights that fact all too realistically – and politically!

Published in THE POST, Lusaka, Zambia, Monday 11 July 2005

Peter Henriot is director of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) in Lusaka.  E-mail: phenriot@zamnet.zm