Unions (ZCTU) General Secretary Roy Mwaba
Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda has taken First Quantum Minerals (FQM) management to task over prohibitive rentals for housing units and school fees at its Kabitaka development project.
Mr. Shamenda who toured Kabitaka housing project, a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals in Solwezi yesterday, was not happy with the high rentals and school fees the mining firm is asking miners to pay.
The Labour minister said Kansanshi mine management should realize that its core business was mining adding that any extensions to the mining investment such as schools and housing units meant for social services should be subsidized in order for the miners to afford.
FQM charges K900 per month per pupil at Kabitaka School in Solwezi while it has pegged rentals for its low cost housings units between K1, 500 and K2, 500.
First Quantum minerals chairman Kingsley Chinkuli was at pains to explain to the minister the reasons for the high school fees and rentals.
There is no reason but just day light roberry. Giving with the right hand and taking back with the left hand. Solwezi is a rural area, how does a mine start charging rentals and school fees to its employees like the are charging private companies. Big shame on FQM.
Just thinking loud!Was the school or houses meant for the local population or the miners?
Were they funded by the govt through NHA or they were privately funded?
The only way Zambians and the government can benefit from the mining revenue by introducing proportional pay structure where by the lowest paid miner should be paid not less than 0.15% of the the top paid boss in that mine. This means if the boss gets $12000 per month, then the lowest paid miner will get £1800 per month. Those in middle should more than 0.15% of the boss ‘s pay according to rank. This scheme is being trialled in Norway, and so far it seems to work very well.
In this way every one will be happy because the miners will get more and as a result the government will also get more from income tax. More over the mines will have very little to hide.
This I think is the way forward. If PF can implement this pay structure across the board, I will salute them.
@wanzelu for once you have spoken some sense (but we haven’t forgotten the 19th of this month), as for Shamenda please follow up on what you have said don’t just make these statements when there is a bye election closeby as your friend Kambwili does or you will surely deserve the tag of “useless minister” as the President His Excellency Michael Chilufya Sata once called your double agent colleagues, please also make a follow up on these farms owned by whites and even rich Zambians in Mkushi and Mumbwa even useless Zambeef and Zambia Sugar so many complaints from their workers yet these commercial farmers make millions.
Opandanzelu 0.15% of £12000 is £18
Stop trying to be clever
Problem is that Zambians like free or cheap n substandard things. Let FQM do its thing. that way there is different options for all. Life is not fair!!! How do u expect people to be encouraged to work hard if everything is easy to access or free. There has to be different classes in society. And for now, those structures are catering for th middle class.
This has been the argument on #Zambian Leaders You Choose. These mining companies must not be given the right to build communities of their own. Let this land be allocated to the councils for these housing units to be built under the values of the Zambian community and indeed Zambians values are global values which every visitor to Zambia is amazed at.
I was shocked to learn that there are restrictive compounds by means of a guard and membership. Not residential membership probably club membership and private membership. We might be building apartheid walls again. Investment does not mean segregation.
We need to finance our own indigenous in prioritising small investments such as housing and schools. These can surely by teachers and doctors with an understanding of global health…
The people they are exploiting are their own employees. How do you motivate your workers by ripping them off. These are part of the social benefits. No one is calling for the old ZCCM type of benefits that left a lot of miners in limbo because of a dependancy sychrome. Mind these fees are escalated on a yearly basis. Not only that did the expect their empleyees to live in squater camps and be productive at the same time.
The mines @ it again, & jst few minutes znbc wz shwing another minister of ours calling 4 these abusers 2 com & ‘invest’ n zambia…pipo wats wrong wth. Africans? R we really cursed??? Y cnt we jst swindle these guys they give us money & we start runng all our major. Industries & resources on our own…@ tyms like ths I admire Mugabe…
Amazing statement by Shamenda really – If as he says , FQMs business is mining , why should they subsdise housing and education . I fail to see the logic being employed by Shamenda in his argument.
What is even more, what basis is Shamenda using to determine whether the rentals are too high or school fees to high. Since when did he become an estate valuer, saying nothing of his credentials to evaluate the worth of an education system.
In case he needs reminding, we are in a market economy. Shamenda should therefore stop playing to the gallery by appearing to ‘fight’ for workers. He could be inciting labour unrest with his often unguarded remarks. He is now a minister and not a union leader. Maybe it serves FQM well for their habit of inviting Gvt ministers into company affairs
@Rotten Teeth; Those investments can be funded to indigenous Zambians by local banks and even foreign banks. These communities must operate under a council. a council allows private estates to be constructed under their services. This will ensure we are no building apartheid castles which will be difficult to dismantle this time around.
Please allow the schools to be run by Zambians but facilitate funding for them. We have former Trust Schools run by the mines which can be run by Zambians. The admission criteria can be agreed between the mines and the School boards they both have an interest. Hospitals same way and can run on contracts.
$150 School fees per month and about $230-400 rent per month. Too high hey! I wonder how much the workers are getting?
True FQM primary business is mining. It is Shamenda’s incompetent government that should devise policies and programmes for affordable housing. Leave FQM alone!
No wonder this government is for sleeping giants.Mr.Shamenda,Mr.Kambwili and Mrs.Kapata you all seem as though you were not leaving in Zambia.Its shame that you are able to see problems now after three years in goverment.What have you been doing all these years when these complaints have been there.Your Guy Scott only saw a 2006 damaged bridge yesterday in Vubwi.
What a shame of working ministers enjoying free tax payers money.No wonder Mr.Sata said he has useless Cabinet Ministers.
I petty for mother Zambia
Sata really said he has useless cabinet ministers. Hahahahahahahahaha.
FQM is doing very well for the local people. What has the Government done for the people of Solwezi? That education at Kabitaka is of high quality even the Government Institutions cannot provide or afford. Honourable Minister, leave FQM alone. If you want to join FQM’s efforts to develop Solwezi then stop condemning. Start supplementing their efforts.
Are you from Solwezi?
Its actually K 9,000 per term & not K 900 per month
@ Reasoning u are right its k9,000 per term and k 21,000 per year. How much do we miners get to be paying such kind of fees. This is a plot to make that school only for whites who are payed in dollers . The problem with zambians they just defend issue without checking what is obtaining on the ground.
It is systematic segregation which is at play here; give the expatriates conditions of service which include free education and accommodation and keep away the black muntu from some residential areas and schools by pegging the rentals and schools beyond their reach.
You are right on thats what alot of people donnt see. Most of these so called expatriates dont pay a single cent for their rentals let alone school fees. People the school is in solwezi not Lusaka. How much are they paying the employees. They should subsidise for all the miners. People have sacrificed to go and work in solwezi, you cant expect the to split their family because education is too expesive and leave the spouses behind. That is creating social problems. Shemenda ask minister of education to request a list of all the student who attend the school and see how much each one of the parents are paying, then request reasonable reform.
I remember an LT article about this selfsame construction 2 years ago and some gullible bloggers were telling me that the “infestors” were bringing development. …when they were merely negotiating for concessions they told these empty tins in government that they were going to build housing and schools for miners.
Zambian leaders when are you going to ever wake up!!
Is the argument that if FQM’s business is mining then the workers should stay in the houses free or rent should be sub-economic ? Or
Is it also that since FQM’s core business is mining , they should not construct residential houses for their staff even if Gvt or anyone doesnt construct such houses and facilities ?
Both arguments betray an alarming lack of understanding of the variius facets of these mining projects- everything costs money , and should be paid back. At a profit. I guess a lot of Zambians have a hang-over from the ZCCM model- it proved unsustainable in the end.
The alternative would be the deplorable shacks you see for migrant miners in South Africa. I am sure we dont want that.
The lowest house rent is at k2000, then k2500 and some for k3200 and k3400 and most workers at Kansanshi get less than k4000, are you telling me that people will be eating the houses? Many have not gone there only maybe supervisors.
Even in Lusaka houses are of different rental values , and people rent houses according to their income . The same principle applies in the case of the houses built by FQM : They are not subsidised accommodation as Shamenda and some of us seem to expect.. Clearly it was never the intention of FQM to rent out the houses to each and every worker. Those whose incomes are too low or those who dont want , are at liberty to find their own accomodation elsewhere.
Surprisingly this company has a foreign hr instead of a zambian hr and the govt is very aware about it
Ba shamenda dont antagonise the mines. It is not their core business to build houses. It is the government’s job thru Min of Local govt and housing. If the employees dont want to rent there they can go elsewhere. It is NOT ZCCM. FQM pay their taxes and profit to govt. It is wrong for anyone to expect FQM to take over a govt fuction. If the govt does not know how to use the taxes, that is not the problem for FQM.
For all I know, the prices for the houses are structured in such a way the the employees will own the house in 10 years or 15 years for others. In other words, this is more like a mortgage arrangement for the employees. In my view, that is a bargain. I think ba Shamenda should just assist the workers by ensuring that land title issue is resolved so that the employees can be given title deeds for their houses.