Friday, March 29, 2024

‘Kambwili’s statements on Luanshya mine lack merit’

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CHINA Non-Ferrous Metal Company Luanshya Copper Mines (CLM) public relations officer Sydney Chileya has said Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili’s statements on the mine’s operations should not be taken seriously by members of the public because they are inconsistent and lack merit.

And Mr Chileya has dismissed as malicious Mr Kambwili’s statement that the CLM management had limited the miners salary increment to three per cent.

Mr Chileya said in an interview yesterday that if members of the public studied Mr Kambwili’s statements carefully, they would discover that they lacked consistency.

Mr Kambwili was quoted by a radio station as saying the Chinese investors running CLM were exploiting Zambian employees by paying them what he called peanuts.

“Mr Kambwili is a kind of a man who today says that he is against Chinese investment and the same man will tomorrow say that there is nothing wrong with the Chinese operating mines in Zambia .The media can bear me witness when it comes to this issue.

“The mine management and the representatives of the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) have been holding salary negotiations since April.

“They have not concluded the talks, so what is the basis for Mr Kambwili’s statement. He should tell us the context in which he is saying this,” he said.

Mr Chileya advised all stakeholders to give time to the parties involved in the salary negotiations to conclude their work.

And Zambia Chamber of Mines general manager Fred Bantubonse said his organisation was not ready to comment on Mr Kambwili’s statement, which was yesterday aired by some sections of the electronic media.

In the statement, Mr Kambwili suggested that Chinese investors running CLM were exploiting their Zambian employees by paying them what he called peanuts.

“The Chamber of Mines has a policy of not reacting to political statements made by political players,” Mr Bantubonse said.

MUZ and NUMAW officials said they would not comment on Mr Kambwili’s statement because they were still negotiating over salaries with the mine management.

They advised Mr Kambwili and other stakeholders to respect the laws governing the collective bargaining process.
[ Times of Zambia ]

8 COMMENTS

  1. #1 jojo- much as Kambwili may be unstable, there is alot of truth in what he said. You are overseas so you will only rely on what you read or hear from the media. Its true miners are getting as low as 450,000 Kwacha per month and if it was in the early Unip days thse Chinese would not have been able to employ any sane Zambian. Let me tell you the way these Chines operate- they pay very good salaries to top management Zambians- over K15,000,000 per month. This set up has made a person like Mr. Chileya to defend his company aggressively. These chaps are provided with the latest personal to holder 4 x 4s so what can you expect from Mr Chileya. CMZ are aware and are only being diplomatic.I wonder if these Chines are members of CMZ.

  2. Kambwili is very much rite!! its people like Sydney Chileya who lack thinking in his head bcoz hiz brain is rotten !! VIVA PACT

  3. Has Kambwili still got the contracts with the mine or is he also eating from the plate of exploitation with the Chinese?

  4. What are the qualification of a common miner, to start with? Not until bloggers assist Volcanologist will he comment on Kambwili.

  5. #5 Volcanologist- qulification or no qualification all workers need a decent wage. We are not saying a miner should get as much as the GM. By the way to day some miners are diploma/degree holders and due poor job opportunities they end up doing what they are doing.

  6. :(( Honestly what do you expect from the Chinese. What is wrong with us ‘niggaz’ -in the diaspora we are bullied and in our own home we are still bullied -enuff is enuff nalema manje ine !!!!!!

  7. Miners are well paid in australia – whether you an engineer or just a miner. These chinese are on a good thing here and as long as MMD have a got a back hander, Luanshya is theres. Our govt are so fcuk useless!!

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