LABOUR and Social Security Minister Austin Liato has summoned the management of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) to try and resolve the impasse between the two organisations.
And Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba has said the outsourcing scheme by KCM disadvantages workers and that it should be halted.
Mr Liato said yesterday in Lusaka that he had summoned the two parties to his office for a meeting today so that they could resolve the problem.
“I have summoned management of KCM and MUZ to my office for a meeting tomorrow (today) so that we can find out what is happening and a solution to the problem.
Mr Hikaumba said there was need for a clear guidance on how the outsourcing can be done.
“There is no regulation to regulate outsourcing. Under this arrangement, workers are disadvantaged because this is not provided for in the conditions of service,” he said.
The outsourcing scheme was unfair to the workers and that Government should immediately find a solution. He said Government should find a solution to the problem because it was growing by the day.
Some KCM workers were planning to conduct peaceful demonstrations over the continued outsourcing of key activities by the mining giant.
Nchanga Member of Parliament (MP) Wylbur Simusa yesterday appealed to the Government to end the impasse between KCM and MUZ.
[Times of Zambia]
Well what do you expert , since the country outsourced the presidency to I don’t know who. The man who is supposed to be president is always in the air. I guess KCM justifies their outsiurcing too
There is Nothing Liato can do about this, it’s everywhere in the country, can someone tell me please! who is giving out work permits to the same foreign labourers, is not the same liato through our immigration dept? why can’t they stop dishing out work permits if they are serious with what they are saying, our GRZ doesn’t even scrutinise what type of a person is coming to zambia or is it worthy for Him\her to be here. liato just want a cut from KCM management, believe me they will buy him lunch today and that will be the end of the story.
Leornard has outlived this post please. Ma friends are suffering at KCM and all Liato can say is i have summoned Mgt to explain. Doesnt he read or get informed by these people who fall under his umbrela. Mines minister Mwale is fully aware of this. Crap!NCHITO NI KU YENDA -KAMWENDO PANJILA.
#2 Above, Yah Yah, U are spot on. The same insane MMD are busy dishing out work permits to labourers. Go to Imigration Today, You will see Chinese and Indian being given work permits when not qualified. So what will Liato Do. he is busy getting his Ass Fat ever since he left the trade Union. The problems of Mines KCM & NFCA are well know even by Liato. So your action too little too late ba Minister.
That is a nice first move. I would like to see the MUZ raise the question of how these “expertriates” even get the permits. I believe in other countries, you cannot be given a job unless no one else in the country can do it or wants to do it. Everybody around us, Swazi, Bots, Lesotho, RSA have been slowly refusing permit renewals for them foreigners so that the jobs can be undertaken by capable indigenous nationals. It is not time to be sceptical, but a moment of clarity for us all to put our views together. We need a podium on the Net upon which we can integrate our thinking with that of the powers that be. We KNOW how we should be governed, but we cannot convince our illiterate MPs. Yarra mean?
very interesting times for zambia and it’s governance. imagine just a graduate being paid US$5000 tax free money when a zambian graduates gets about US$800 which is also subjected to tax at an average of 35%. as if this is not enough, a foreign welder gets a job easily and get cool cash of between US$4000 to as high as US$9000 tax free? do you tell me liato does not know all this? during ressesion i saw a massive number of locals being retrenched while more whites and other foreign expats being re-employed as they were retrenched elsewhere? to name these companies: Lumwana, kansanshi, etc. minister carry some audits and see the shame and suffering you have brought to zambians yet you still pretend you are creating jobs.
We should not shoot down Liatos efforts even before he has tried.We asked someone do something and he has started the process of correcting the situation. He has also acknowledged where the problem lies in that there are no regulations governing outsourcing practices. A long journey begins with one step. My only hope is that he drives this further and he completes the long journey and not be corrupted by financial overtures that will obviously be thrown his way by kcm and others. Viva to the “quiet” demonstrations.
I we ChiLiato, Yo thief Kafupi when he was busy giving away thes mines knew that the owners will come with their managers since we felled to run these entities.Your efforts will yield nothing basturd! Some of us on the CB are planning to relocate to Villages coz we can’t aford electricity and yet you gave zero increase in electricity tarrifs to these kambwangas!
Good words, Hon. Simusa, very unlike the general PF practice of going by the wind, ukwalola umwela.
Outsourcing in itself is not wrong, it is actually a modern accepted way of doing business.
then we should not attck Liata for looking for a solution, we should applaud this and hope for the best.
Expatriates- I dont see anything about expatriates in this story. However I have done some consultancy and Chinese firms are complaining about the diffculty in gettting a work permit in Zambia. World Bank statistics surpoty showing that one of the impedements to foreighn investment in Zambia is the difficulty in getting permits
What is the point of summoning KCM management, when they are surposed to operate as they wish. Bwana minister should wake up. The damage THAT HAS BEEN COURSED TO ZAMBIAN WORKERS WILL NEVER BE RESOLVED BY THE INCOMPETENT MMD CADRES PERIOD.
There will be nothing tangible that will come out of these talks. In Zambia an investor is listened to, not the poor Zambian. The situation on the ground is pathetic
# 10 You seem to be out of touch with reality in Zambia. Dont follow such reports. If a Congolese selling fake products at a market has a work permit in Zambia what about a Chinese with loads of cash. Shikulu our country is one big mess!
The only option left for us Zambians resident in Zambia is to remove these Monkeys. Liato himself is a boffoon appointed buy an OLD ARCHIVED President. It’s expecting too much for RB and LIATO to put KCM in there place. As per there level of reasoning this is the best they an do!!!
30pin/day is what a miner in one of the contractors in chililabombwe is paying a miner going underground for 12hrs in a day. and the lowest boer in the same company is getting $4000/month
Maybe Mr Minister u dont know this
#10 I AGREE WITH YOU.OUTSOURCING IN ITSELF IS ALRIGHT PROVIDED ITS DONE TO ZAMBIAN FIRMS WHO IN TURN EMPLOY ZAMBIAN WORKERS. ON THE OTHER HAND IF IT IS DONE TO CHINESE FIRMS WHO BRING IN CHINESE WORKER ,THAT WHERE WE LOOSE IT AS A NATION.
The country is in a mess and mmd have damaged the country. Trying to appear as if the government is doing something about it is foolish and a slap on the zambians. The MMD govt encouraged investors into the country into mines at the expense of the zambian poor people. Zambian can not afford to outscource any jobs at the moment as zambian has a lot of unemployed among its people. The govt should train enough people in mines if order for the zambians to do the jobs. Remember what happened in Uganda during Amin this could happen in Zambia, so investors be aware.
MMD should go, they dont care for zambians. They are busy milking the manciated Zambians and they will not relent. What a country that has given up itsself to foregners abuse. Its unheard of.
It’ s sad that most of u bloggers just give comments over a situation whose complexties u don’ t know or understand. There is more to this than just outsourcing and the same people who seem to be symphathising are the perpetraitors of the situation. The biggest question is who is the end beneficiary to Zambia’ s natural wealth and when is a Zambian going to have a share out of this ? Many of the fake expartriate staff (Indians in KCM) who come to Zambia start driving porsh cars within a month of their arrival where as Zambians who have worked for more than 25years are confined to slave wages. Do we have a govt in this country or what is the way forward for Zambia ?
It annoys a simple mind and we have got a president who is always in the air. Miners in KCM are suffering and there are just too many Indians who are handling jobs which can be done by Zambians. Honestly we don’ t need these people unless Zambians cannot perform the jobs which they are doing. They get US$100,000 each time one goes on leave and a lot of other allowances, free air tickets, free education for the children, free accommodation and a lot more. Worse still their salaries are more than 2000 % to what local Zambians earn. I wonder what bo Liato can do over such a siuation. The Banda administration is a disaster to the Republic of Zambia and I personally mourn about it. Please, Sata and HH wake up for the betterment of your mother Zambia.
It’s due to this kind of clumsy leadership that the Zambian people desparately need a change in government. We are praying and working on making the PF/UDNP Pact stronger and it is growing. This is shallow mindedness of the highest order which should not be allowed to continue in this land. Lets all go register to vote in 2011. Encourage all including in your household to register to vote!!
Motsepe
I am in the country and my work involves interacting with these investors and I have interacted with immigration employees to. You should take up time to look for reports on doing business in Zambi and see where Zambia is ranked in terms of ease to get work permits
#7,#10, #16 and #22 have made valid points in a rational manner on this matter as for the others :-?
Why do we Zambians have to politicize every issue???