By ARTHUR SIMUCHOBA
Heated industrial disputes, strikes and protest demonstrations by workers are as old as mining itself in Zambia. Even so the industrial unrest that shook the copper mining town of Chingola a week before Labour Day commemorations was unpararelled.
The aggrieved workers were not Zambian but Indian – 360 strong.
They downed tools to press for improved pay, living and other conditions of service. Despite persuasion, threats and the involvement of Zambia police, the Indians would not budge.
For, four days running they would not resume work insisting on improvements in their pay and living conditions.
By the second day, 24 ringleaders had been identified.
They were driven out of town under police escort and put on a plane back to Mumbai. Their employer would not accede to any of their demands, insisting that they had signed a contract whose provisions had not been violated.
But even with such tough talking, the strike largely held on. Many of the workers still stayed away and expressed a desire to return to India than work under the disputed conditions. They maintained that they had been cheated.
Their employer, Onshore Construction Company, warned that more would be ordered out of Zambia if they continued to refuse to work but to no avail.
The strike could not have come at a worse time for a government that is increasingly at odds with the labour movement over proposed amendments to the Industrial and Labour Act. More damaging still, the wider public was only now learning of the presence of such a large group of Indian artisans on the mines, a very sensitive matter as unemployment among local artisans is high and in Zambian eyes at least, the mines have to absorb them.
Reported to total around 600 in all, the Indians had been sneaked into the country with the authorities obviously anxious not to arouse local unions’ concerns about unemployment. It is high and not even the improving economy has made a significant dent into it.
Against such a background, the inevitable questions are about the wisdom of employing foreigners while locals are roaming the streets.
Onshore Construction Company who were awarded the contract by the mining company, Canola Copper Mines of Chingola, to construct a new smelter apparently moved in with their own labour and little was publicly known about that until last week’s upheaval.
But the cat was finally out of the bag and questions and complaints are coming in thick and fast. There is a sense of shock and betrayal that “such a large group with skills that are readily available locally could be granted work permits”. The Indian group comprised among others plumbers, fitters, welders and riggers-all skills that are available locally.
Many have openly expressed disappointment with the decision to import such cheap labour and have cited it as proof that the authorities are increasingly unable to stand up to foreign investors even in the interest of their own people.
The decision has been criticised and the criticism hasn’t run its course.
“For many years, Zambians managed the copper smelter at Mufulira, Nkana and Luanshya mines. Zambians managed the cobalt smelter…in short we have more than enough expertise to deal with smelters,” said a respected independent Member of Parliament who previously worked as an engineer in the mines.
“It is disappointing that the government can allow 600 workers at Onshore when there are many Zambians out of employment,” he observed.
Government has so far been silent.
But the silence has not been of great assistance.
The Indian workers were adamant that they were the victims of a fraud.
They were not being paid what was agreed upon nor were their living conditions up to world standards although it does seem probable that one explanation for the walkout was simply the realisation that local workers would not accept their kind of conditions. By midweek, a total of 50 had been flown back to India and 10 more were due to leave.
There is now heightened public interest in the whole matter and for both government and the construction company, it is at best a public relations disaster.
For, the public is bound to be critical on account largely of latent dissatisfaction with the labour practices of many of the new players in the employment market. It is a concern that has been re-kindled after a period when it had subsided.
The town’s MPs have paid the company a visit and it is now offering jobs to locals.
The 60 vacancies arising from the departures are now on offer to local artisans. But questions about how the Indians obtained their work permits, persist and there are no clear answers.
This, at a time when both the Federation of Free Trade Unions(FFTUZ) and the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions(ZCTU) have shown resolve to fight amendments to the industrial and labour law aimed at making it essentially more investor -friendly. Foreign investors find existing labour laws, drawn up when the country was socialist leaning, “too rigid.” (Sila Press Agency)
“Onshore Construction Company who were awarded the contract by the mining company, Canola Copper Mines of Chingola, to construct a new smelter apparently moved in with their own labour and little was publicly known about that until last week’s upheaval.”
LT please do we have Canola mines in Zambia?I thought it was Konkola.I have always asked you to employ me as a proof reader but you ignore me and this is embarrassing your organisation.This explains it ,your editor is also from Mumbai!!!
LPM and your Government you the worst than Judas…My beloved country is being ruled by a devil(heartless son of a gun) at times even dogs support each.I don’t care whatever you will call me but enough is enough LPM you are the worst and remember your time is coming soon and this will haunt you chipumputu chobe,waba ifyobe.I have no way to say this except use unpalatable language but then do i have a choice?If i call LPM an ***** or ch@#%^@ have i really insulted him?NO!!!He is the one who has insulted us Zambians by allowing these Indian rats in our country.Is he telling us we are all incompetent we can’t work at the mines?
Cnt’d Was he told that the Indians will do a much better job than my Zambian brothers?How educated are they and why did they allow theses Indians to be flown in secretly?Why is ka chikamba ka mulongoti quiet over this issue?The government is guilty for this why did they secretly allow these #@$%&$ in Zambia?Sadly things like these happen in our own country,i have a qualified friend an artisan but he just runs a kantemba.So here comes these Indians prisoners to work as artisans shame on you LPM.Nakambia waba ifyobe together with you OP f@#K tell yo boss that,he’s other name is Judas Peter Mwanawakolwe.
Cnt’d malabisi chankalipa sana.
lol…i support you my brother bebe!!!But you are funny ati Judas Peter Mwanakolwe
Wemawume we awe wasosa!!!
So, on what condion of service will the Zambians be employed on?
#7 do you even have to that my friend? The usual slave conditions of course. If they have failed ensalve their fellow Indians, they wil certainly ensalve Zambians with the full backing of LPM and his Raw Deal Govt. Shame on our so-called leaders.
there is a site I like called Lusaka times. there are crazy chaps there…..lol…except me.
Well this is just a tip of of the Iceberg. I can bet there are many low level skill foreigners brought into this country. The Chinese guys building the roads in my shanty compound confess that they were prisoner convicts back in China and the work they do can be easily done by Zambians. When Sata of PF says that we have loads of Chinese people who have even created a dent in the population of our country, he is not just politicking. These are fact on the ground. This is not news to the People in Chingola, they see this everyday. Thanks LT for bringing this to the public attention.
If people from outside can go on strike, what type of working conditions are prevailing in ZED? Are Zambians safe under the Chinese employers? A lot of concerns out there Levy.
Levy = Cabbage in running Zambia.
Heads should roll at Min. of Home Affairs. How did these Indians obtain work permits, unless they are working illegally.
Aba tandwe boonse ba mwenye bapiluke kwabo. Malabisi aya.
Its finally good that fellow Indians have felt the same heat our beloved brethren feel when working for mwenyes.deport all of them and give jobs to zambians.
#12 waluba sana. Give respect to your leaders.
1.Patrick = PA means father and TRICK means magic
2.Mwanawasa = MWANA means child, WA means OF and SA means pig in japanese.
3. Levy means UKUNYOKOLA
Therefore Patrick Levy Mwanawasa = wishi wa buloshi, akabili umwana wa kapoli uwatemwa ukunyokola.
This issue of Indians having been brought in in Chingola was actually debated in parliament by the area MP but as usual GRZ protected their investors with a string of explainations.ZCCM which was bigger than all these mines put together was being run by qualified Zambians certainly they can’t fail to do any kind of work on this small Canola Copper Mine of Chingola.And these so called investtors that GRZ brings all seem to love money too much;i mean we’ve had an experience with the Indian shop owners & the new comers Chinese who want profits at the expense of safety.Its about time we restored pride to our people’s lives,a Zambian should be looked @ as being more important than any foreigner!!
zed the real transfigured africa by heartless,no-vision “liders”.they have put a lid on our zambian pride.we know the job for sure.
Am sure this workers are all been accommodeted in hotels and enjoying a three course meal.Its a shame on you Mwanawsa, now i know what you are made off.Any more revalations? am sure there is lot to come .(ifwa kulila mu bunfisolo bafimwena ku maulushi).
This is in Mwanawasaland what u get when u vore in a vegetable.
mwanawasa should escort his deported “expat” indian labourers may-be ask for taiwanese.
Zambia is headed for industrial chaos if levy’s government continues to be dictated by these foreign investors.
what a nation,rotten from the cradle to the grave,they busy preach corruption yet they practise it daily,bring in 360 indians,f##king quarks,The grz is a hustler,they run zed like pimps.
it is only in zambia where such foolish things take place.
How can you win the fight against corruption when the govt is in for front in corrupt activities. How did the Indian workers obtain work permits at the expense of our own. How do you satisfy the needs of the outside and ignore your own family? Even the Bible is against such, thus why it says my word shall be preached first to Jerusalem.
Do we not have enough Zambian jobless.Why import labour????
I doubt if there is any govt out there that would grant foreign nations amass with work permits because a contractor has won tender to do something in another country. Only a small # of technocrats would pass for that and the rest of the work can be done by locals. This is very bad for Zambia.
This is a lesson to Zambians for being ruled by a cabbage for a decade.What else can you expec from a vegetable apart from stupidity.
we need to wake this government up from its slumber
Please read the SA times vacancies section, sometimes you find Zambian jobs advertised , Jobs we can do……..so its home affairs and ministry of labour who are sleeping…i wonder why we allow these indians in zed.
This story appeared sometime ago. I said that this is human trafficking at the highest level with the govt perpertuating it. I also mentioned that impunity does not last forever. The benefiaciaries of this scam, who ever they are will be dealt with severely, come 2011. Kulibe vakuti ati “Uyu ni chite”. Why should these mwana malayambi even have the audacity to have strikes kwati twa fyalwa nabo mu zambia? Babwekesheni uko mwabafumishe abo!!!(Take them back where you got them). LT removed my text on this.
Lets put so thoughts in this brothers. As much as Levy has done a lot of wrong things how does he come in here. Does it mean that everything that every GRZ worker does in the country its Levy’s fought? Am very un happy with this issue of Indians at this critical time when our people are suffering, but lets not be very narrow minded and put everything on Levy. If we do so we will fail to solve our problems. Lets talk about Mtiti the chief imigration office and Shikapwasha the home affairs minister. They are the first pipo we must make accountable. If they say that Levy had a hand in it the we attack Levy. Otherwise the way most of you are putting issues, to me you are proving to be worse than
Your arguments seem to be worse that Levy’s thoughts.
No33
levy is the president of Zambia and it is his job to ensure that the will of the peolpe of Zambia are taken care of.do you know how many Zambians are jobless?mater of fact levy is the one busy globe trotting and bring these infestors claiming they are investors.now in such an instance what can you do?be clever like you and not criticise him or be narrow minded like me and speak for the jobless Zambians
these workers have no right to behave like this they knew what they were getting when they signed their work permit documents, now they want to start claiming better wages than our sons of the soil, no, that is ridiculous and lets get this straight their beef is not with government but with that construction company that secured their services Onshore Construction Company lets not start fantasising of how we are going to insult our leaders but how we are going to take this private firm to court for a misrepreentation of material fact to the labour office. lets not think that just because they are mine workers who downed tools it must be governments fault that’s illiterate thinking
#32 They are all levys puppets including your self,they cant do anything minus a consultation from him,its you who is narrow minded,too blind to see and we are here to make you see that,stay focus zed is thugged out,
These poor people were cheated and promised better jobs and conditions of service only to find themselves in labour servitude with no proper accommodation food or clothing. If you speak with these people a lot will come out and show that they are victims of modern employment agencies run by cartels of human traffickers. Research conducted in 2004 indicates that Human Trafficking has become a multi billion dollar business. Trans-national organized crime organisations operate with a lot of personnel from different state departments on their pay roll in different countries where they have ready demand for cheap labour and commercial sex.
Squiller #34. This is our country and we should not politicise evrything especially such serious matters. Do you think that if you were president or if Sata or HH was president they would know everything that happens in parts of govt? By generalising putting everything on Levy we are releasing our energy and anger in a wrong way. Levey will never be involved in such things. We need to target our energies to the pipo involved. Eg calling for the resignation of the pipo who were involved in this scum or thier dismisal. If Levey does not act on such then we pin him down.
Otherwise continuing sining about Levy, i assure you that its not practical. He will still be president up to 2011.
Cont’d
Affected departments with civil servants falling prey to such include, Immigration, Police, Investment Centre, Customs, Passport office, and labour office just to mention a few. They use impunity as a driving tool and will do anything including murder, in order to succeed in their operations.
With this bit of info, I hope GRZ will conduct a thorough check within its ranks and files to fish out the moles making a living out of modern day salvery.
people on this blog are claiming that it is a shame govt was outsourcing labour when they are many who are unemployed, i believe that is nonsense the jobs are there kumigodi but many of them that are unemployed are happy to stay by their ntembas smoking dagga like the captain of their ship satana, waiting to cause unrest during election time when handouts are prevalent others are under duress by the marketeers association to man the bus stops and collect hommage for their fat cats i mean u cant continue blaming government for unemployment when the indicators of this problem are used to the old regime of the pygmy dance
Mwanawasa must explain why he went to India for those workers.He must explain how they entered the country and how the work permits were issued.This is very dangerous for a president to act secretly without even the approval of parliament.It shows how weak the apparatus of government are and that no Zambian whoever calls himself or herself a Zambian is safe were a president is not accounable to his deeds.The only problem is that this issue will soon die and they will secretly give them what they want because they brought them secretly.And as Zambians like wondering dogs will forget as if nothing has happened and always say that our nation is poor and yet it is the nation that has poor mind.
no need. let us not be hostile to one another. we are also plying our trades in foreign countries. leave the Indians alone. they were doing specialised jobs and are cheap labour anyway.
In Zambia we have lawyers,we have judges we have so many people who have gone to higher learning institutions some as far as seven years and yet this happens just under their nose.If people can secretly be brought in the country by the president without any aproval of any government arm,one day we will wake up and find that Zambia is part of India.What a shame.Will the learned be the learned such that their morals will not be corrupted by worldly materials.When will the ordinally Zambian rely on the learned people of its land.Mwanawasa may have spent so many years at school but it seems he just worsted time for he has no morals and lacks loyalty.He rules a country whose name he does not kno
what specialised job can an indian do that which a zambian cant do ba prof? mwalatusebanya
am structural engineer/civil engineer/water engineer failed to get a job pa zed moved on and am getting paid,real payments.The grz prefer foreigners,here in there own countries we out do them,and we are on demand,now see who is the looser
To Prof Mutengo Waming.
If you open your eyes you will realise that there is so much cheap labour in Zambia.And the way you respond seems your mind is not independent though you are a professor.I understand that you lack a bit of economics though you may have spent years at school.However,i know that i can not trust you too to represent me as a Zambian.I know you will always choose an Indian in place of me.Now that they are turning to be expensive labour, as you claim that they are cheaper, are you going to repatriate them?We will wait and see.
#32 Listern Mr, chuchu is the appointment officer, he has appointed based on his family tree not on qualifications, no wonder we blame him. He appointed Shikapwasha, a very dull chap as the home affairs minister. Infact his family trees ministers knows their time is up and what makes you think they wont recruit indians on a chekeleko basis.
Our indiana brothers have more guts than our civil servants who have been so docile? continue negotiating with our greedy politicians and see what will happen? you are already poor and some of you may die even before you collect your pension? what are scared of…?why do you fail to protest? the government can not afford to fire the entire civil service…wake up civil servant and do the right thing, otherwise stop your time negotiating with a greedy fortune seekers and simply go back to work for peanuts.
#32 and #42 your contributions are very logical. So is it George Bush’s fault that some of you people are working in the US doing what Americans can do? Must Levy be the Chief Immigration Officer, Home Afairs minister and Labour PS at the same time? I dont like the notion of Indians swarming Zambia for cheap labour jobs but heaping the blame on the president is a cheap way of looking at this.Dont give me the Levy is the appointing authority line, isnt Levy the same appointing authority who hired Magande?If Magande can do his job why cant others? Reducing the president to a general worker who must do everything is plain naive people
Levy is blamed bcoz he appointed most of his corrupt relatives in most ministrio positions! Period.
Where on earth were Zambians taken in for work in such a number of up to 600 at a goal so that they can entertain these indians?
Mwanaureen ukupwalala no kutemwa akapiya!
can we close the chapter now that you guys have said so much. learn to accept other peoples’ faults and move on.
Please keep this site clean. It doesnt pay when you use vulgar
Zambia should be very careful, we might be sitting on a triangle of slavery! For an Indian artisan to strike, then we are not talking of conditions of service, but urter slavery. Very soon it will be on world untold stories, much to the embarassment of Zed!
#49.You compare American to Zambia do i need to tell you that America is a developed nation?Have you ever head a skilled American even one without skill going without work?This will happen only if they choose to and still they will be looked after by there government.If you as the father will not take responsibility in what happens in your house then you must not have the title of father.To talk the way you have is not knowing where centralisation of power lies.You do not even know who appoints ministers in your on mother land what a pitty.Surely,if you did you would really know that all the ministries fall under the president.Mwanawasa must take full responsibiltiy over the India saga
no. 49 u have brought sanity back to this blog ur comments reflect rational thinking and are non partisan kudos to u. As for some of u cadres here belonging to whichever doomed party, please feel free to continue ukuponta, u never know, ur dreams may come true, u know, mabisi as the staple food cows everywhere or if u want inhaling satanas cigarette smoke being called dogs because u are not bemba the opportunities are endless
Ba Kolwe, when Miko Sata said too many foreign workers, mwaletukana ati ni Satana fye. Yet we know that at the time of elections, ZRA received better revenue, even from businesses that always post losses. Workers got better conditions, and wages. And this is when you have realised that ba leader balya fye ma T yabo!
Come back to earth, be real, and wake up. LPM (Dr wabufi) cannot develop your BUTT, he is busy leaking investor’s butts; no checks and balances. Kabili ba leader have fear for foreign investors, so all local investors can f**k Off basically. Common guys, you know this is the truth, yet you pretend to be in a christian country! I see them in the Uk boasting of the things they get away with in Zambia. Show me a leader, and I will show you the qualities I want. Satana type, and all this stupidity would go; implementers not time wasters. I wish you well, nine kolwe munenu.
These Indians are becoming a threat to our national stability. A lot of them still have this Indian caste mentality, where the the dark skinned are the lowest ranking in society. Do they want to practice such foolishness in Zed? Oh, oh…we shall sort them out!
Sure, deport the Indians and bring in more Chinese!!Nice thinking loya wana loya!! You imbeciles!
Ba levy, lawyer wama lawyer!!!
So even when you are drunk on mosi, its levy you blame?
Protesting workers should be protected regardless weather they are expartriates or not, the fact is that they were already employed in Zambia, It was not their fault that the Government allowed them to be employed. We should not rejoice at the misfortune of others. If these indians were cheated they derserve to be protected by our Union as a move of solidarty and at the same time pursue authorities on our polars labour laws. In europe in a foriegn is being mistreated, the unions will come to protect the worker weather the foriegner is an Illegal immigrant. A worker can not just be abused because he is a immigrant. Let our society be ethical at times.
SATA NEVER DIED BECAUSE GOD KNOWS THAT HE HAS A JOB TO DO IN ZAMBIA. LONG LIVE SATA.
#63.You have spoken sense.Though we should not be a copycat of others like those in Europe or any where else.We must be our own people to search for that which makes sense witin ourselves and uphold good.Trully to the fact,every one need respect and dignity and so do our Indian brothers.In this case it is our own leaders who errors and in whom the fault lies because it was done secretly and i suppose there is more to this.Right now Zambia does not need them because it has its own mass of unemloyment people were the government can look first.If then reason dictates that we do not need our Indian brothers the union must fight for their way back in better snd respectable manner.
the GRZ is quiet about the matter coz they know it.what do you expect when the president is giving favor to chinese and indians.the next day we will hear about similar issue will be about chinese
SATA IS WORSE, THANK GOD HE WILL NEVER RULE US. LET HIM JUST RECOVER AND WATCH FROM THE TERRACES. LEVY IS THE MAN OF THE MOMENT. LEVY IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO SATAs IN THE BUSH
#67 You are stupid! if Sata is worse, then Levy is worst. Sata is not the leader now, Levy is. The recruiting of those infestors indians was done under the nose of levy, so he is 100% to blame for mess our country is, not Sata.
Its a shame of monumental proportions how this government could import 600 coolies to do jobs meant for Zambians and the government was only too willing to grant them work permits. The minister of home affairs should be shot dead, he is a complete waste of not only tax payers’ money but also of valuable space. Silly Shikapwanyaule “two chickens”.
As for 67, it shows how fools are always so willing to jump from the frying pan into the fire. It was characters like these who swapped Kaunda for that Katangese stinking thief and now they was to bring in a “heart dead” nwacusa from Mbeya to finish Zambia.
ATTENTION.
600 employment vacancies are on offer in ZAMBIA.
requirements.
General school certificate.
must be indian.
must be ready to work in africa.
must be ready to be smmugled in africa.
send your applications online onshore [email protected]
As long as Zambians remain docile..the government will carry on taking the piss with us!!!…perhaps now the government will acknowledge how many chinese are in the country
…tulandepo! Ati balaponta!
For India, a fellow developing nation, harboring a very long chain suffering illiterate destitutes ( absolute nonentities) to feel courageous enough over ZED and send us the so called expatriate workers means there’s something extremely Wrong with our Leadership! …or something wrong with our Nation!
LPM, where is your defense off Sata’s likening these to infesters??? Muwelewele employ from the large pool of skilled Zambian – makaka lyobe!!!
it pains me to read such nonsense that the govt of the day is happy to employ hundreds of indians while the Zambia people are jobless and cant feed their families.
Mwanawasa u are finished Shame on u big man. I cant just stand and watch the way the country is been ruined by selfish and heartless people.
Who is playing football 2day??