SERVICES

  • Registration as Employer
  • Registration of Representative Bodies
  • Accident Investigations
  • Career Counselling and Guidance
  • Approval of Occupational Pension Schemes
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Attestation of Employment Contracts
  • Factory Inspection and Construction Work Inspections
  • Employment Agency Registration
  • Examination of Plant and Machinery
  • Labour Inspections

Short Description: Registration as an employer with the Labour Commissioners Office, Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Full Description: As prescribed in Section63 of the Industrial and Labour Relations Act Cap 269, Every employer employing twenty-five or more eligible employees, or such lesser number as may be prescribed by the Minister, shall register himself with the Commissioner within a period not exceeding three months from the date of coming into operation. An employer to whom this section applies and who fails without reasonable cause or excuse, (the onus of proof shall lie on the employer), to register in accordance with this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding two hundred penalty units.

Supporting Documents:

Company Registration Forms from PACRA

Covering letter addressed to the Labour Commissioner stating the sector in which Employer is operating and number of employees at application date.

Short Description: Registration as a Trade Union with the Labour Commisiners Office, Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Full Description: As provided for under section 9 and 36 the Industrial and Labour Relations Act Cap 269 of the laws of Zambia.

Representative bodies for both workers and employers should be registered by the Labour Commissioner.

Category: Industrial Relations.

Supporting Documents:

List of supporters

Covering letter addressed to the Labour Commissioner stating the sector in which Employer is operating and list of employees supporting the registration of representative body at application date.

The Department is mandated to investigate accidents in workplaces. 

 

When accidents occur in factories and workplaces, they must be reported to the department, through a prescribed form within 48 (forty-eight) hours of occurrence.

 

The accident will then be investigated by factory inspectors so as to determine the root cause of the accident and make recommendations by which recurrence of such accident may be prevented.

 

Supporting Documents

  • Factories Act Accident
  • Notification Forms

Description: A detailed way of assisting individuals in choosing their educational or occupational choices.

Full Description: It is a comprehensive, developmental program designed to assist individuals in making and implementing informed educational and occupational choices. A career guidance and counselling program develops an individual’s competencies in self-knowledge, educational and occupational exploration, and career. One of the most effective instruments the section employs is the Rothwell Miller Interest Blank.

Supporting Documents

Learning institution(s) – The Ministry writes to the learning institutions The Learning institutions will then respond to the Ministry

Individual – in the case of individual they just come and the Ministry offers the service to them

A company or an employer is required to submit the rules to the Ministry for approval. This is after the employer has agreed with the union (workers) to set up the scheme and has developed the pension rules. In approving the establishment of the scheme, the Ministry ensures that the rules and benefits payable under the scheme do not disadvantage the worker or inferior to the benefits provided for in the regulation on the matter.

 

Category

  • Promotion of Decent Work

 

Supporting documents

  • The Statutory Instrument No.2 of 2011
  • The Minimum Wages and Condition s of Employment Act
  • Regulation number 8 (2)

Department discharged with the responsibility to mediate in Labour Disputes.

Full Description

Grievances and disputes that arise at the workplace and are not resolved through internal processes can be reported to the Ministry for purposes of finding a possible resolution to the dispute. These could range from dismissals, termination of contracts etc. Parties are at liberty to seek for mediation services from the Ministry. Labour Officers by law obliged to intervene and try to resolve the disputes reported through social dialogue.

Supporting Documents. – Employment Act, Cap 268 of the Laws of Zambia.

Description
All employment contracts to be attested/approved by the Ministry for employees who are not unionized or governed by Collective Agreements.

Full Description

All companies intending to engage employees for employment are required to prepare contracts of employment. These should be submitted to Ministry of Labour and Social Security for approval/attestation to make them legally binding. The Company is required to give a copy to the employee for their information.

Contracts are for attestation are required to be in triplicate and must conform to the requirements of the law before they are attested.

Supporting Documents

– Employment Act, Cap 268

– Employment (Amendment) Act number 15 of 2015

– Statutory Instruments on the minimum wages

Contracts are for attestation are required to be in triplicate and must conform to the requirements of the law before they are attested.

Short Description

Department is mandated to ensure safety and health standards are adhered to in all factories and workplaces

Full Description

The equipment materials and persons working in factories and construction sites are a source of hazards and risks which can result in harm to personnel and damage to the equipment. Factory inspections are undertaken to ensure that the standards of safety and health, as provided for under the Factories Act are adhered to in order to prevent any loss that may arise due to accidents.

Supporting Documents

The Factories Act Cap 441 Inspection checklists

Description Registration of Employment Agencies whose main objective is to source or Human Resource employees for companies that are in need.

Full Description The Ministry provides for registration of employment Agencies and forbids anyone to operate or cause to operate any employment agency without approval from the Labour Commissioner. The Permit is given for a period of one year and is renewable.

Category Labour Law Enforcement

Support Documents

– Employment Act Cap 268

– Employment (Amendment Act) No. 15 of 2015

– Employment Agency Application form – Permit fees

– Company profile

– Certificate of incorporation of the company and qualification for the proprietor

Short Description: Pressure vessels and lifting equipment are examined and certified for use in the workplace.

Full Description: Pressure vessels and lifting machinery pose a very high risk. In order to ensure their continued safe use in factories and other workplaces, they are examined and certified at regular intervals. Only certified equipment can be used. Statutory fees are charged for every examination of such equipment. The examination of these equipment is undertaken by specialized personnel.

Supporting Documents

The Factories Act

Certificates of inspection

Inspection checklists

Conducts inspections so as to ensure that employers and employees are in compliance with the labour laws

Full Description

There are four types of labour inspections namely; – Routine inspections- these inspections are conducted on a regular basis to ensure that there is compliance to the labour laws – Follow up inspections- conducted usually after a routine inspection to insure that all the recommendations that were stipulated from the findings of the routine inspections have been adhered to – Special inspections- conducted when there are contentious issues at the establishment in relation to non-compliance of the labour laws. These inspections are usually joint with different partners. For example immigration, anti-corruption commission. etc. – Investigative inspections- conducted when there are issues pertaining to non compliance from complaints. This is to ascertain whether there is compliance from both sides that is the employer and employee. These are  undertaken to look into the checks and balances of the working environment and the industrial relations at the place of work.