LABOUR MINISTER APPEALS TO JAPAN

January 14, 2020January 14, 202040By Mary Mwiinga and Shem Malinda:Labour Minister Joyce Simukoko has appealed to the Japanese government to partner with Zambia by sharing best practices on how it addresses post retirement pension schemes.Ms. Simukoko says as the ministry wants to learn best practices from Japan on retirement benefits as it is  looking to extend social security coverage to the informal sector which covers about 68 point 8 percent of the Labour force.She says government wants to fully prepare as the life expectancy in the country is steadily rising.Ms. Simukoko was speaking when Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Ryuta Mizuuchi paid a courtesy call on her at her office in Lusaka today.She further appealed for collaboration in the area of Labour, employment and social security, technical assistance and capacity building for occupational safety and health.Ms. Simukoko said Japan and Zambia enjoys warm bilateral relations and Japan  has remained a key partner in the development of Zambia’s economy in many areas such as infrastructure, health, education, commerce and trade.Meanwhile, Mr. Mizuuchi said Japan is open to further cooperation to directly benefit the Ministry of Labour provided there is communication and agreement between the two governments.Mr. Mizuuchi further said social security issues is also still a big challenge in Japan.He said like Zambia, Japan is still struggling with how to reduce government debt and the two countries can learn from each other. Post Views: 40
News Source: ZNBC