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Workmen's Compensation (Accidents) Convention, 1925 (No. 17) - Zambia (RATIFICATION: 1964)

Social protection reform. The Committee notes that the Government is currently undertaking a social protection reform with the technical assistance of the ILO aiming at the extension of social protection coverage to workers in the informal sector and the development of a unified single social protection law, covering also protection against employment injury. The Committee invites the Government to indicate progress made in the reform in its next report.

Application of the Convention in practice. Referring to its previous comments, the Committee takes note of the efforts of the Government to increase compliance with the requirements of the national legislation. With regard to the level of benefits, it notes that the average monthly level of employment injury benefits in case of permanent disability in 2015 was equal to 54.00 Zambian kwacha (ZMW) which appears to be a very low amount in comparison with the monthly Constant Attendance Allowance of ZMW800.00. The report indicates in this respect that it is difficult to determine the minimum rate of employment injury pension as the same is determined by several factors which include age of the workers, monthly salary, marital status and actuarial factors. The Board has however engaged the Government Actuary Department of the United Kingdom whose terms of reference include the establishment of a minimum pension. The Committee hopes that the Government will not fail to include the outcome of this study in its next report.

Conclusions and recommendations of the Standards Review Mechanism. The Committee notes that, at its 328th Session in October 2016, the Governing Body of the ILO adopted the conclusions and recommendations formulated by the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group (SRM TWG), recalling that Conventions Nos 12, 17 and 18 to which Zambia is party are outdated and charging the Office with follow-up work aimed at encouraging States party only to these Conventions to ratify the Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 [Schedule I amended in 1980] (No. 121), and/or the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102), and accept, inter alia, its Part VI, as these represent the most up-to-date instruments in this subject area. The Committee reminds the Government of the availability of ILO technical assistance in this regard.