PRESS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY ON THE REVISION OF THE MINIMUM WAGES FOR BUS AND TRUCK DRIVERS

SI No. 3 of 2025_ Truck and Bus drivers Minimum Wage Press statement for Bus and Truck Drivers SI (7) (2)

REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA

MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY

 

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY ON THE REVISION OF THE MINIMUM WAGES FOR BUS AND TRUCK DRIVERS

16^TH JANUARY, 2025­­­­­­­­­­­

1. I wish to update the nation that Cabinet at its 25^th Special Meeting on 17^th December, 2024, approved the recommendation by the Minister of Labour and Social Security to revise the minimum wages and conditions of employment for the Bus and Truck Drivers in order to take into account the cost of living and inflation.
2. As per tenets of tripartism and social dialogue, social partners were engaged so as appreciate the need for the revision of the minimum wages for Bus and Truck Drivers.
3. It is important to note that the Statutory Instruments are to be reviewed every two years upon recommendation from the Labour Advisory Committee according to the provisions of section 101 of the Employment Code Act, which states that –

“101. The functions of the Labour Advisory Committee are to— (a) inquire into the wages and conditions of employment in any undertaking or sector in order to recommend minimum wages and conditions of employment; and

(b) review at least every two years and make recommendations, to the Minister, on the minimum wages and conditions of employment for any group of employees;”

The Bus and Truck Drivers Statutory Instrument was partially reviewed in 2022 and in that regard, it was due for review in 2024.

 

4. As the public may recall, in November, 2023, three statutory instruments were reviewed and issued for Domestic workers, Shop Workers and General Workers’ Orders for all other categories which were effective in January, 2024. On the other hand, the bus and truck drivers’ minimum wages were not reviewed at that time. The review of the Bus and Truck Drivers’ legislation, therefore, completes the set of minimum wages orders for employees falling under the regulation of the statutory instruments.

 

5. Government wishes to make a clarion call that employers must allow employees to join trade unions and engage in collective bargaining which takes into consideration a company’s financial position vis-a-viz profit made so that employees benefit from what they have contributed to the businesses. Employers should, therefore, embrace union activities because the minimum wage statutory instrument may not take into account different companies’ financial capabilities. In other words, there can be discontentment on the part of workers in a company that is reaping good profits as they would feel short changed. The opposite is true as equally companies may also struggle to meet the requirements of the minimum wages.
6. The revised minimum wages are therefore as follows;

Category	Old Minimum Wage	New Minimum Wage
Bus Drivers	K2,200	K3,000
Truck Drivers	K3,000	K4,000

 

 

Subsistence allowances		Old	New
1	Where the employer does not provide, or pay for accommodation for the driver while on duty; Or where the truck does not have a sleeping cabin	Not less than USD25 per night	Not less than USD30 per night
2	Where a truck has a sleeping cabin	USD15 per night	USD20 per night

The Statutory Instrument will also include a list of dangerous goods in line with international standards.  The list is as follows:

 

1. Explosives;
2. Flammable gases;
3. Flammable liquids;
4. Flammable solids;
5. Oxidizing substances;
6. Toxic substances; infectious substances; and
7. Radioactive substances.

 

7. The nation is guided that the new statutory instrument will become operational on 10^th April, 2025, three (3) months after its publication.