SECTOR 4 Media houses were supposed to financially contribute to ZAMEC to ensure its existence and functioning, “but it was quite expensive” and therefore did not materialise. To initiate the process of operationalising the media council, civil society organisations tried to engage the ZAMEC Executive, which was elected as part of the initial launch of the organisation in 2012. The Chairperson of ZAMEC however, is currently on sick leave, which has further stalled the process of institutionalisation. When someone wants to file a complaint against broadcasting media houses the person can go to the IBA, and since the body is part of a statutory regulating system, it “will look into it.” Otherwise, one would have to take the complaint to the High Court. Media houses have in-house codes of conduct which are enforced within (some) institutions. If a valid complaint is made, the responsible journalist “will be disciplined” with a warning or similar. The public, however, “may not be aware of code of conducts to do with the media.” Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.1 (2013:2.9; 2011:2.0; 2009:2.3; 2007:3.0; 2005:3.3) 4.3 Salary levels and general working conditions, including safety, for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate. There is a general need to improve working conditions and salaries for media professionals. Payments for journalists are inadequate, especially taking into account that many journalists have 14-15-hour work days, “a driver gets more than a man or a woman who has to inform our nation”. Usually, only journalists working for state-owned media can negotiate their salaries, because they are part of a union and collective agreements have been concluded. ZNBC staff represented by a union, for instance, are entitled to an annual review of salaries and an increment. But with a minimum amount of staff 58 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2017