Maravi

The plight of Sinazongwe coal mine workers

COMMENT - Say no to the 'minimum wage', and instate a living wage, directly linked to the cost of living. End casualisation. Or, raise the minimum wage in the mines to $15/hour, and collect $10/hour in PAYE. That way, the miners get paid a real wage ($5/hour instead of $3/day) and the government still collects $1.16 billion in taxes from the mines. They could scrap all other mining taxes if they did that.

The plight of Sinazongwe coal mine workers
By The Post
Wed 20 Oct. 2010, 04:00 CAT

The workers at Collum Coal Mine in Sinazongwe have the right to receive a just wage. And we welcome the position taken by Elijah Muchima, the Minister for Southern Province, to try and end the gross abuse and exploitation of workers at this mine.

As Muchima correctly observed, problems at this mine are not new; “this mine has been a source of concern” for a very long time. All the other ministers before Muchima have had to deal with similar problems at this mine. Truly, Collum Coal Mine is treating its Zambian workers like 21st century slaves. The rights of workers, like all rights, are based on the nature of the human person and his transcendent dignity.

Among these rights are: a just wage; a work environment not harmful to the worker’s physical health or his moral integrity; social security and the right to assemble and protest poor conditions of service. Therefore, remuneration for work should guarantee people a dignified livelihood for themselves and their families.

And it is the duty of government to regulate industries and commerce to protect workers’ rights and to curb exploitation. As things stand today, the labour laws of our country do not adequately protect workers. The minimum wage is too low.

It is easy to complain that employers are paying slave wages without looking at the minimum wage that the government has sanctioned. As things stand today, the minimum wage in this country is K268,000 per month. Any employer who pays a salary not less than K268,000 is within the law and there is no justification for government officials to castigate them for paying such low salaries. Why should the government harangue employers who are not paying salaries that are not below the minimum wage?

There is no need for government officials to talk tough and pretend to be on the side of the workers when the legislation they have put in place allows for the exploitation of workers. Efforts which enable workers to improve their conditions should be valued and promoted by everybody in the nation.

There is need for the government to set a just minimum wage and ensure that employers give a just wage to their employees. And for a country that has declared itself a Christian nation, there is need to realise that human work is a continuation of God’s creation, a duty, a means of pastoral development, redemption and sanctification. We are all called to use our talents through our work in order to build the good of our society. The conditions of Sinazongwe coal mine workers merit special attention.

The roles of business owners and management have central importance from the viewpoint of society, because they are at the heart of that network of technical, commercial, financial and cultural bonds that characterise the modern business reality. For this reason, the exercise of responsibility of business owners and management requires constant reflection on the moral motivations that should guide the personal choices of those to whom these tasks fall. The motive of business should be not only to make profit but even more to contribute to the common good of society.

We should ask ourselves: are the owners of Collum Coal Mine responsibly promoting just wages and working conditions for their workers? Businesses should be characterised by their capacity to serve the common good of society. The sense of responsibility in economic initiative should demonstrate the individual and social virtues necessary for development. A business enterprise must be a community of solidarity.

There is need to realise that people’s work concerns not only the economy but also, and especially, personal values. Work is rooted in respect for human dignity. It is done by a collection of individuals who have chosen to come together and to unite their minds, wills and hearts for the common good. Every effort should be made that the enterprise becomes a community of persons.

All workers have the right to receive a just wage. Employees have a strict duty to give their employers efficient and conscientious work for which they have a right to a just wage. Work provides an opportunity for each of us to show that we are God's image.

This is so because God is Creator and we, every woman and man, show forth God’s image when we continue creation through our work, our labour, our engagement in shaping our country of the future. The dignity of work must be recognised with just wages and safe conditions. All forms of capitalism that place profit before persons and are based on the exploitation of one by another should be condemned.

The situation in Sinazongwe has continued because it has been allowed to continue. The government has not been serious enough to stop it. And the truth is that although government officials have been critical of the wages and working conditions at Collum Coal Mine, this has been nothing more than lip service.

It will be interesting to see if the ultimatum given to Collum Coal Mine by Muchima to improve conditions of service for the workers by the 30th of October will be met. It will be interesting to see what will happen if this ultimatum is not met. Will Muchima close that mine? We doubt it.

We may just end up with the same old story and the same old noise. It is not possible to understand how a government that is strongly opposed to what has been going on at Collum Coal Mine could have tolerated the same for such a long time.

The government knows very well, and it has always known, that the conditions of work at Collum Coal Mine do not measure up to acceptable standards and the workers have been “getting slave salaries”. But what has it done? What will happen if the owners and management of Collum Coal Mine simply say they are paying salaries that are not below the statutory minimum wage of K268,000?

This government is much more keen to go to Parliament and quickly change laws that allow its leaders to steal with impunity but has no time and resources to enact laws that protect workers. What affects them is done very quickly and the resources are always available. But what affects the workers and other people is only attended to on the platform of lip service.

For over nine years, Collum Coal Mine has been exploiting and humiliating workers of Sinazongwe with the full knowledge of their government but nothing has been done to correct the situation. Labour laws are being violated with impunity. Muchima is telling us that at Collum Coal Mine, workers are employed with no contracts and conditions of service and the administration seems to be very naughty.

But nothing has been done for nine years to straighten up things while Zambian coal mine workers continue to be treated “as animals”. We can only hope that Muchima will take things differently and change things for the betterment of Sinazongwe coal mine workers and abolish this 21st century slavery of Sinazongwe coal mine workers.

Labels: CHINESE COLLUM COAL MINE, ELIJAH MUCHIMA, MINERS, SINAZONGWE

posted by MrK @ 2:16 PM