Maravi

Miners to hold demonstrations over KCM’s outsourcing of services

Miners to hold demonstrations over KCM’s outsourcing of services
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Sun 15 Aug. 2010, 04:01 CAT

MINERS from three Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) integrated business units have resolved to hold peaceful demonstrations over the continued outsourcing of key activities at the mining giant.

The miners from Nkana, Nchanga and Konkola units that gathered at the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) offices at Katilungu House in Kitwe yesterday where MUZ and the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) held a joint press briefing, sang solidarity songs and denounced KCM management.

Clad in all black and seemingly in a militant mood, union branch officials from the three integrated business units said outsourcing needed to be halted as a matter of urgency.

NUMAW Konkola branch chairperson James Chansa said the miners were geared at ensuring that outsourcing was stopped.

Chansa warned that if Zambians were not careful, they would become like the Aborigines of Australia whom despite being the indigenous people of that land had been forced to live in the bush.

“Even if Australia hosted the World Cup today, I don’t think any of the Aborigines would find themselves in the national team. Likewise, if we allow this outsourcing to continue, we will find ourselves in the bush,” he said.

Chansa complained that the management structure at KCM Konkola was very unfair because all management positions were occupied by Indians.
“The General Manager is an Indian, the mine manager is an Indian, the commercial manager is an Indian, the only position that is held by a Zambia is that of manager human resource,” he said.

Chansa said time had come to fight injustices whilst still people were in employment because at the rate things were moving, they might become casual workers and lack a voice to speak out.

MUZ Nchanga branch chairman Malambo Malambo observed that outsourcing would spell doom for the union because casualisation would come in.

MUZ KCM Nkana branch chairman Jairos Matafwali said there were more than 400 casual workers at Nkana who were getting a paltry K400,000 per month.

Matafwali wondered how production could improve when workers were subjected to such hardships.

And MUZ president Rayford Mbulu assured the branch officials that they had the support of the national union leadership.

Mbulu said MUZ would not rest until liberty for the mineworkers was secured.

“No one can make you a slave without your permission. We can’t continue being horses, people have been riding on our backs and dumping us whenever they reach their destination,” he said.

Mbulu said the union felt extremely let down that the government which was ably represented on the KCM board could allow KCM to go ahead and outsource.

“If government can make such precarious decisions, then surely, are we being governed properly?” Mbulu asked amidst shouts of shame! by the miners in the audience.

Mbulu said the role of the union was to provide a state of equilibrium in governance and that they would not depart from their revolutionary attitude.

He said outsourcing demeaned miners’ jobs because while KCM on one hand maximised profits, the mineworkers who worked in the outsourced units on the other hand were paid less.

Mbulu said he understood an expatriate to be a person with rare skill and wondered whether the ‘so-called’ expatriates at KCM had any rare skills.

And NUMAW national treasurer Richard demanded the immediate suspension of outsourcing at KCM because mine workers were not consulted before it was introduced.

He said it was sad that all senior management positions at Konkola were held by Indians and that what was more surprising is that a 52-year-old Zambian general manager was retired to pave way for an Indian who was way above 70 to take over.

Musukwa said educated Zambians were squatting in offices at KCM because their jobs had been taken by Indians.

When contacted for comment, KCM spokesperson Rahul Kharkar said he was waiting for a full report of what transpired before issuing a statement.

Labels: CASUALISATION, DEMONSTRATION, JAMES CHANSA, KCM, LABOUR, MINERS, MUZ

posted by MrK @ 4:11 AM