Maravi

(TIMES) Onshore workers ditch Chingola firm .....create jobs for Zambians

Onshore workers ditch Chingola firm .....create jobs for Zambians
By Times Reporter

TWO hundred and fifty-two Onshore workers have resolved to return to India after a dead-end with their employers over conditions of service. The voluntary move by the Indians has now created employment for local Zambians who will be recruited to fill the void. A check yesterday found most of the workers waiting to be dispatched to India. One of the employees, Subhas Chandra Mallick said 70 per cent of the employees had chosen to go back to India instead of being enslaved by Onshore management.

A rigger, Ryaz Ahmed Khan said the food (chapati) was poorly prepared, while 60 of them were housed in a three-bedroomed guesthouse and were made to share one toilet a bathroom.

Chingola town clerk, Charles Sambondu said he warned Onshore management in January this year when his council wanted to close down the guesthouses but they promised that they would relocate some of the workers.

He said Onshore management was uncooperative and his council was left with no option but to close down all the houses in question and those for the companies involved in the same vice.

On Monday, over 360 Onshore construction workers protested and opted for an industrial strike to force management to succumb to their demands for better conditions of service.

Onshore has been contracted by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Chingola to construct the multi-billion Kwacha Nchanga smelter.

Onshore administrative manager, Iyer Ramachandran said yesterday that management had signed agreements with each employee on the conditions of service before coming to Zambia.

Mr Iyer said with the departure of the workers to India, the company would now employ local people to replace them.

Nchanga Member Parliament, Wylbur Simusa demanded an explanation from the ministry of Labour and Social Security on how the workers got their work permits.

But Government said there was nothing wrong with KCM engaging Onshore Contruction Company.

Labour and Social Security Deputy Minister, Austin Liato said in an interview yesterday that his ministry was only concerned with the long-term investment opportunities that would be created by mining firms and not how they engaged foreign firms to do contractual jobs.

“We are more concerned with the permanent jobs that the mining companies would create for the local people than how these companies bring in others on contract basis. As a ministry we would want more jobs created for the Zambians by the mining companies and these should be on permanent basis. That is the long-term investment that we are interested in,” Mr Liato said.

Labels: AUSTIN LIATO, COUNCILS, LABOUR, NEOLIBERALISM

posted by MrK @ 4:09 AM