Maravi

Unions take Kansanshi, FQM to Industrial Relations Court

Unions take Kansanshi, FQM to Industrial Relations Court
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Sun 18 Mar. 2012, 11:57 CAT

THE Mineworkers Union of Zambia and the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers have taken the failed 2012 salary negotiations with Kansanshi Mine and First Quantum Minerals Operation Limited to the Industrial Relations Court.

And the unions say President Michael Sata must do everything possible within his powers to resolve the impasse between workers and managements of Kansanshi and FQMOL which would negatively result in the mineworkers not receiving their deserved and agreed items, including salaries.

The MUZ and NUMAW a fortnight ago reached a deadlock with managements of both Kansanshi and FQMO over the 2012 negotiations for a pay rise.

At a joint press briefing in Kitwe on Friday, MUZ acting president Charles Mukuka said in terms of the provisions of the industrial and labour relations Act on the settlement of collective dispute, the parties to the dispute took the inevitable action of taking the process to another level.

"The matter is now proceeding to the Industrial Relations Court for adjudication, now that the mediation process still leaves the parties to the dispute apart. We would like to appeal for calm and commitment to duty, now that the process has entered an untouched territory in terms of our recent history in industrial relations," Mukuka said.

He said in a memorandum of understanding signed, Kansanshi Mine management, among other things, conceded to consider permanent employment and to work towards working out modalities of implementing the decision.

Mukuka said in subsequent joint industrial council meetings, management had informed the unions that the board met and could not make a decision on permanent and pensionable employment and proposed to defer the issue and effectively meant it falling off the 2012 collective agreement.

He said in the case of FQMO, there were disagreements on the tenure of the collective agreement from one to two years, adding that the parties in their rounds of negotiations made progress on a number of items, except on salaries.

"We would like to remind our members and the nation that in 2008, the Unions, MUZ and NUMAW, reached a similar impasse. The actions of management then was to entice our members with money to withdraw from the two unions.

That episode was painful to the unions and the members," he said.

Mukuka said it was distressing that managements at Kansanshi and FQMO had refused to accept the amicable way of resolving the impasse and subsequently implement the items in the 2012 collective agreement.

And Mukuka said President Sata and his government must take action and help the unions to get a better deal through collective agreements.

He said the Minister of Labour, Fackson Shamenda, was empowered in the industrial and labour relations Act to intervene even at the last and inevitable hour of the matter.

Mukuka said Kansanshi and FQMO were key drivers in the mining industry and "the unfortunate developments of deadlocks and misunderstandings should not be allowed to derail the country's march to mining growth and expansion…"

Labels: FIRST QUANTUM MINING, KANSANSHI MINING PLC, MICHAEL SATA, SALARIES

posted by MrK @ 7:09 PM