Maravi

PF MPs question decision to grant Indians work permits

COMMENT - I thought FDI, which wouldn't bring revenues to government, or shared profits, or was forced to re-invest or even transfer technology to local companies, was intended to 'create jobs'? Because 'free trade' and FDI must be the worst way ever of creating new jobs.

Also, these 67 people are put in a single house? What qualifications do they have that cannot be met by local labour?


PF MPs question decision to grant Indians work permits
By Mwala Kalaluka
Thursday April 24, 2008 [04:00]

ONSHORE Construction Limited, an Indian company, contracted by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to work on its smelter project in Chingola may face legal action following public health concerns involving its expatriate workers. And two Copperbelt Patriotic Front members of parliament have questioned the motive behind the government’s decision to grant temporary work permits to over 600 Indian nationals to work on the smelter project at KCM. Chingola council town clerk Charles Sambondu said yesterday that his council was unhappy with Onshore Construction Limited because of the unhealthy manner it had been accommodating its Indian workers.

“This company gets houses in the high cost areas; say Riverside, and the best example is the house opposite the Civic Centre, where 67 people are being accommodated,” Sambondu said. “This is just a threebedroomed house.”

He said despite several cautions, the company had failed to abide by the council’s directives.

“I summoned the management of Onshore and told them that on health grounds, this situation was unacceptable,” Sambondu said. “I warned them of prosecution under the public health Act if they did not adhere to our directives.”

He said his officers inspected about five houses in Chingola, where they established that each of them was housing about 60 people.

“People in the neighbourhood have been complaining bitterly. These people are using those hospital pans to answer the call of nature and they dispose them in the drainages,” Sambondu said.

He said he had again sought audience with the company management over the matter.

And Nchanga member of parliament Wilbur Simusa said the employment of casual Indian workers on the smelter project at KCM has had serious social implications in Chingola.

Simusa said he was concerned that the Immigration Department had agreed to issue temporary permits to the “unskilled” Indian workers, at the expense of qualified locals.

He said before issuing the temporary work permits, the government should have been satisfied that there was no Zambian who could do what the Indians were doing.

He also complained that the behaviour of the Indians left much to be desired.

“I had a meeting with KCM where I complained over the same issues,” Simusa said.

Nkana PF member of parliament Mwenya Musenge said the government should own up and admit that it erred in the manner it issued the permits to the Indian workers.

“We have been raising this issue in Parliament but the government has been very defensive,” said Musenge.

Immigration Department spokesperson Mulako Mbangweta said the over 300 Indians were issued with temporary work permits. The more than 300 workers on Monday staged a protest in Chingola to register their displeasure over poor conditions of service and they have called for the government’s intervention.

Mbangweta said on Tuesday that the Indian nationals were issued with temporary work permits to allow them work on some specialised aspects of the KCM project for a period of three months.

Mbangweta said the issuance of the temporary permits to the Indian workers was done by the Work Permit Committee; which comprise a number of inter-governmental institutions and the Immigration Department.

However, reliable sources told The Post yesterday that the Work Permit Committee did not issue temporary permits.

Labels: CONTRACTORS, INDIA, KCM, PF

posted by MrK @ 4:59 AM