KANSANSHI Mining PLC is demanding for US$20 million from two Solwezi residents and others who allegedly incited mine employees to go on an illegal strike which resulted in loss of business.
The $20 million was for damages and loss of business resulting from the four-day alleged premature and illegal strike action early this year.
The mining company has dragged Benson Ngambo, Yobe Banda and others to court demanding for compensation for loss of business which the company endured when the duo allegedly induced and influenced employees to undertake an illegal strike action.
According to a statement of claim filed before the Lusaka High Court, Kansanshi Mining stated that Ngambo, Banda and others allegedly induced, persuaded and procured its employees to breach the contracts of employment by influencing a strike action which resulted in the loss of business.
The company stated that Ngambo, who claimed to have been a representative of Government and Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), together with Banda and others on March 1, 2012 induced Kansanshi mining employees to go on a strike action contrary to the provisions of the Industrial and Labour Relations Act chapter 269 of the Laws of Zambia.
It stated that on the material day, Ngambo addressed the employees and made a call for them to participate in a strike action and picketing around the company premises.
The company said the move taken by Ngambo, Banda and others was a breach of its employees’ employment contracts as the strike was unlawful and illegal.It said the duo and others influenced the employees to physically ban the way of persons and motor vehicles trying to enter and leave the mining area while they intimidated and harassed drivers.
Kansanshi Mining claimed that the striking employees barred heavy duty vehicles loaded with various merchandise from delivering in and out of the mining area, a move that caused loss of business not only to it but third parties as well.
It stated that because of the same, Kansanshi Mining lost approximately $5 million per day in revenue.
The company, which had initially jointly sued 14 of its former employees and later filed a notice of discontinuation against them, had also sought an injunction restraining further striking, which was granted.
The matter is being handled by High Court Judge Dominic Sichinga who has set September 20, 2012 as the date for commencement of trial.
[Times of Zambia]
Bali pena $20m bakaimona kwisa lol.
We know time is money but lets be realistic, during the strike your costs were almost zero, why demand $20 million?? The ore is still there for you to treat, its not like it has vanished
Dreams
BA CH_KALA YOU DON’T EVEN PAY WORKERS SUCH AMOUNT OF MONEY AND YET YOU ARE DEMANDING IT.
# 2 during the strike employees still had to be paid salaries, loan liabilities still had to be settled whilst the mine was not generating any revenue. Iam sure they know that those guys have no capacity to pay but the message will have been passed that where procedure exists it has to be followed.
Lets see how far it goes, it may be a learning factor from both.
#5 i understand that, Looking at what generates income the contained copper is still the same none of it has been lost as a result of the strike and it will be treated in future. There cry is they don’t want to pay workers for those hours they were on strike despite not loosing anything. The $20million in question will just be a profit to them.To me the strike was a corrective measure after failed negotiations
ma rubish a skanga pakunya, why waiste the courts time???
Claim the $20M from your insurance firm. Stop bossing us around.
what stupid company lawyer advised kansanshi mine? or is there something we are missing here. tax evasion perhaps
Sounds as though they make $20million per four days True or false?
The poor Mr Banda…been sued for 20M US of A dollars is no joke. The man shall think 20 million times before inciting another strike.Â
I would sure do the same if I came from the world where strikes are unheard of, sue the Mr Banda guy causing losses returns on the millions of my children’s inheritance money invested.
This shall kill the labour unions at the mine.
Where the guys from the labor union or any government dept?
The people who went on strike are adults – they made the decision out of their own conscious volition, I would like to believe. What case is this? An adult “making” other adults to do something illegal? Either they wanted to go on strike or they didn’t. Waste of time, if you asked me.
Our brothers were blown up into pieces at Chambishi mine sometime back due to the negligency of the mines management, how much money were their families compensated ?? bags of mealie meal and radios, and today these *****s are asking for $20M for loss of business? this will be an interesting case. we’ll see were our judiciarys loyalty lies.
Haven’t Kansanshi already stolen enough money from Zambians through false tax declarations, manipulating of production figures and exploitation of workers? Let the government investigate and deal with them!
20 million in two days.Damages should be about 100,000 dollars. If that’s how much they make let’s check their taxes!
Its unacceptable! ZRA Commissioner general, can you please instruct your guys to check how
much this investors are robbing us.If they can lose that in 4 days how much do they declare & pay in 90days?