Social security : The case of African railway workers in Zambia

This study examines the provision of social security for African railway workers in Zambia in the period between 1945 and 1967. Social security is defined here as the protection and assistance that the state, employers, individuals, and communities provide to workers to prevent or ameliorate the effects of hardships such as illness and injury sustained while at work. As a result of industrialisation which drew Africans from their rural homes, it was no longer possible for those Africans who took up wage employment on the Railways to adequately rely on the traditional social security system which was based on mutual assistance. The study is divided into five chapters. Chapter One is the introduction in which we introduce the content of the study. In Chapter Two, we discuss the aspects of social security which were provided for African railway workers in Zambia. In Chapter Three, we examine the roles of the state, the employer, and the employees in the provision of social security for Africans on the Railways. In Chapter Four, we discuss the constraints on the provision of social security for African railway workers. Chapter Five is the conclusion, and draws upon the findings of the preceding chapters