Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Government says it has no intentions, whatsoever, of coming up with a policy or legislation that will allow the withholding of salaries for women on maternity leave.
In a statement, Labour Commissioner Chanda Kaziya has since dismissed the statement attributed to Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia, Northern province Secretary Wallace Kasao that government intends to introduce a policy that will allow the withholding of salaries for women on maternity leave.
Mr Kaziya says the statement is not only misleading but baseless, unfounded and lacks merit.
He says Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security is working towards enhancing and strengthening the existing Maternity protection policy and legislation to make it more effective and friendlier to women.
Mr Kaziya states that attaches great importance to maternity and paternity protection for all Zambians in the labour market as outlined in the Employment Act CAP 268 of the Laws of Zambia.
He says the Ministry of Labour and Social Security therefore assures the nation and women in the public sector in particular, that there are no such proposals as claimed by some sections of the media.
Mr Kaziya has further advised leaders in the labour movement to desist from making
unsubstantiated statements that have the potential to cause unnecessary alarm and panic among the working public.
Mr. Kasao is quoted as having told ZANIS in a story published in the Times of Zambia edition of 2nd March,2017 that his Union will not support but fight the proposed withholding of salaries for women who go on Maternity leave because this was discriminatory.