Maravi

MUZ urges mines minister to defend plight of miners

MUZ urges mines minister to defend plight of miners
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Fri 23 July 2010, 04:00 CAT

MINEWORKERS Union of Zambia (MUZ) secretary general Oswell Munyenyembe has advised mines deputy minister Gabriel Namulambe to focus his energies on addressing the plight of miners and not defending investors.

Reacting to Namulambe’s statement that MUZ should have consulted the government before issuing a statement to the media that they would oppose any attempts by government to bring in Vale, a Brazilian mining giant, to invest in Zambia’s mining operations, Munyenyembe said MUZ was not a government wing.

“Mr. Namulambe served in Levy Mwanawasa’s government as a full cabinet minister. Before that, he even served as Copperbelt Permanent Secretary. He should know how MUZ operates, we are not a wing of government and we can’t consult them before issuing a statement on an issue that affects our members,” he said.

Munyenyembe said MUZ had on several occasions met President Rupiah Banda and informed him of issues concerning bad roads in mining townships, engagement of ill-qualified expatriates that were getting more money than qualified Zambians and out-sourcing of manpower by the mining investors.

He said MUZ expected the government to seriously address issues when of ill-treatment of miners by investors. Munyenyembe said so many things had gone wrong in the mines and that some mines had even engaged expatriates in their human resource departments.

“So these are the issues Namulambe should be looking at. We know that he is a job seeker but he should not mislead people. He should stay away from MUZ or do something else,” he added.

And Munyenyembe said MUZ had information that 168 people were supposed to be laid off at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM)’s Nchanga concentrator.

He added that the union also had information that KCM intended to outsource services at the hospitals, saying this would frustrate Zambians.

“We have information that they KCM want to bring in doctors and other heath workers from India to come and run the hospitals. Where is the protection from the government?” wondered Munyenyembe.

MUZ last week vowed to oppose any attempts by the government to bring in a Brazilian mining giant, Vale, to operate in Zambia.

MUZ president Rayford Mbulu alleged that Vale had a bad human rights track record where they operated and that United Steel Workers who were working under Vale had been on 12-month strike in Canada and that Vale had not even bothered to meet the union in order to resolve the impasse.

Meanwhile, Nchanga member of parliament Wylbur Simuusa said there was a lot of anxiety and apprehension amongst miners over KCMs tendency to outsource services.

He said miners wanted clear answers from KCM management and the Ministry of Labour over the issue of outsourcing.

He said outsourcing was disadvantaging miners because the foreigners who managed outsourced units came with their own conditions.

Simuusa also said mining companies had a moral obligation to give back to the communities they operated in.

Reacting to the Chamber of Mines general manager Frederick Bantubonse’s statement that mining companies are not obliged to develop infrastructure in the areas where they operate, Simuusa said mining companies were reaping billions of kwacha from Zambian communities and were morally expected to give back to those communities.

Labels: FREDERICK BANTUBONSE, KCM, MINERS, MUZ, OSWELL MUNYENYEMBE, WYLBUR SIMUUSA

posted by MrK @ 2:10 PM