ZANIS Workers Hit by Unfair Pay Cuts

By Angela Mtambo

Dozens of Zanis employees are facing salary cuts and stalled payments after a 2023 restructuring. While some workers in Western Province are receiving full pay, many others across the country remain underpaid—some losing up to K2,000 per month.

A MakanDay investigation has revealed that several employees at the Zambia News and Information Services (Zanis)—including technicians and van campaign operators—had their salaries downgraded from salary scale F to C in August 2023. This decision has led to significant reductions in pay, with some workers losing up to K2,000 from their monthly earnings.

The affected employees have come forward to share their experiences, calling for justice and transparency in how their salaries are being handled.

Some of the workers were initially employed in 2013 as van campaign operators and placed on salary scale C. However, following a 2015 collective agreement between the unions and the government, they were upgraded to salary scale F in 2016.

Further investigations have revealed that during a 2023 restructuring exercise, the position of van campaign operator (VCO) was officially abolished, and all affected employees were reclassified as technicians—placing them under salary scale F. However, despite this confirmed change, the workers continue to be paid according to the abolished scale C, with persistent monthly deductions of K300.

Shockingly, while most affected workers across the country remain underpaid, MakanDay has established that technicians in four districts of Western Province—Limulunga, Mwandi, Mulobezi, and Nalolo—are receiving the correct salary under scale F. The reason for this selective application remains unclear, fueling frustration and raising suspicions of favouritism or administrative oversight.

“What is so special about those from the five districts?” asked one affected worker. “We were all reclassified under the same restructuring, but we’re still being paid as CVOs while they get what is due to them.”

The salary downgrades and deductions have caused significant financial hardship for the workers. Many are struggling to repay loans that were approved based on their previous salary scale.

“Accessing government loans is another challenge,” one worker explained. “My loan was based on scale F. Now, imagine how I’m struggling to make ends meet.”

The downgrade has also taken a toll on morale and motivation among the affected employees.

“If it was an error, let those responsible be held accountable and stop deducting money from our salaries,” pleaded another worker. “I reported this to the union, but they have done nothing about it.”

Government Response

MakanDay has seen some of the emails from the affected workers to their union, lamenting about this development.

“This development left me shuttered, I never thought something of this nature could happen in my work life as a civil servant, especially now that the economy needs better salaries for civil servants,” said one of the emails.

But the Zambia Union of Government and Allied Workers, through its Deputy General Secretary for Professional Affairs, Sitondo Kumatongo, denied being contacted by the affected workers—despite evidence showing that the employees had written to the union. The union has continued to claim ignorance of the situation and has offered no support or action on behalf of its members.

When contacted for comment, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Media, Thabo Kawana, claimed to have no knowledge of the matter. However, Zanis Director-General Loyce Saili acknowledged awareness of the issue and attributed the delay in resolving it to “government procedures taking long.”

Angela is an investigative journalist based in Kasama.