Maravi

‘Govt is working on mechanisms to salvage operations at LCM’

‘Govt is working on mechanisms to salvage operations at LCM’
Written by Speedwell Mupuchi
Sunday, December 21, 2008 9:00:16 AM

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has assured miners in Luanshya that the government is working on mechanisms to salvage operations of at Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM).

In a message delivered yesterday through mines minister Maxwell Mwale at a meeting with Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) officials in Kitwe, President Banda also told the miners whose employment with the company had been terminated following its closure that a mechanism would soon be announced on how to proceed on LCM.

“The only thing I would appeal to you colleagues is that we should be seen that we operate within the legal framework so that nobody misconstrues what is happening at Luanshya,” Mwale said.

“I think you have heard us on a number of occasions refer to the issue that nobody should come up to say this is a government that is embarking on the route of nationalisation of the assets, so we would like to see that everything that is being done is done within the legal framework to the benefit of Zambia, to the benefits of you the employees who have worked on that asset for so long. That's the message I can give you from His Excellency the President who I did not call but it's himself who rung me just to pass on his message to yourselves. That's the message I had for the people of Luanshya.”

And Mwale, who visited the Copperbelt with labour minister Austin Liato, described the tour as informative following consultations with employers and employees in various mines. He said miners gave suggestions on how to keep mines' operations viable.

Mwale said miners were alive to the fact that whatever was happening in the country could not be finger-pointed at any single event but to the global crisis.

He said Zambia, as part of the global village, would be affected by global occurrences.

Mwale, however, said he was saddened to hear that LCM management had finally announced that they were putting the mine under care and maintenance.

“But I would like to assure the nation that as a government, a responsible government, we are not sitting idle on this matter. Every necessary step is being taken to ensure that the dignity is restored for the people of Luanshya. We don't want them to go through the route they went through when they were under Binani,” Mwale said.

Asked on how possible it would be for LCM to retain workers when it had been placed on care and maintenance, Mwale responded that there were some activity that needed to be conducted even though the company was not in production mode.

“For example, we look at the pumps, they have to continue running to ensure that the mine is not flooded and that means there has to be human resource involved in that operation,” said Mwale. “However, even if the mine is placed under care and maintenance, as government we are putting in place a technical committee to ensure that the operations of Luanshya Copper Mines and Chambishi Metals Smelter are salvaged.”

LCM on Friday announced formal closure of the mine two weeks after its sister operation, the Chambishi Metals Smelter was closed.

And Liato said the government wanted to ensure that people retained their jobs in the mines.

“We got assurance at Chambishi Copper Smelter, the Chinese workers who had come to do construction work are almost concluding and they will be going back and so there would be jobs there open for Zambians. And management is telling us they will have a total of 1,000 jobs this coming January. So within this gloomy picture, there is some light which is coming from Chambishi Copper Smelter,” he said.

Liato said the government had tried to emphasize that nobody should be laid off without the knowledge of the government or the union.

Labels: JOBLOSSES, LCM, MAXWELL MWALE

posted by MrK @ 8:59 AM