Police in Kitwe battered former Mopani and Konkola Copper Mines Employees for allegedly holding an unlawful demonstration over the decision by Barclays Bank to hold their retrenchment packages.
The battered former miners who were part of the group that had earlier on Friday morning gathered at Barclays Bank to demonstrate over the banks decision to hold their terminal benefits have since been arrested and charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
Copperbelt police Acting Commanding Officer Daniel Kasonde confirmed the incident to ZANIS but said the former Miners had no permit to hold a peaceful demonstration hence the decision by Police to arrest them.
The former Miners who were retrenched amid the global economic crisis and falling Copper Prices early his year had obtained loans from the Bank while they were still in employment hence he decision by Barclays to withhold their terminal benefits.
One of the affected miners Lawrence Mwamba said it was unfortunate that police resort to battering the miners who were just demonstrating over a just cause.
He said the affected Miners had lost all their retrenchment packages and that it was unfortunate that people who were just peaceful could be injured and battered in such a manner.
Mr. Mwaba said when they were obtaining loans Barclays Bank did not indicate in the memorandum of understanding that they would grab their terminal benefits in an event that they lost their jobs.
And Barclays Bank Corporate Affairs Manager Webster Malido said the bank was committed to working and find an amicable solution with the affected Miners.
Mr.Malido in a statement obtained by ZANIS indicated that the Bank has shown willingness to discuss and iron out the problems with the affected customers.
ZANIS
But why beating them over their own dough ?
Am I missing something here? How were these benefits paid? Straight into the bank for the bank to with hold these poor people`s money? How possible is it? It can never happen where Barclays comes from. Yet again a sign of how far Africa is from being developed. These terminal benefits were supposed to be sent as cheques straight to these peoples addresses in form of cheques.
Were supposed to be sent straight to these people`s home addresses in form of cheques.
These miners deserve to be clobberd.it’s one case of foolishness typical of a miner.lack of planning once he gets a ka thick wand of kwacha notes.these miners were enticed into getting loans from barclays bank and one condition was that in the event of one losing his job the benefits should be channelled to the barclays bank account which they agreed.and foolish enough once they got those loans they all bought cars.so now they were retrenched and as per agreement their benefits went to barclays bank who has to recover his money because it’s business.now who do you blame? and what’s the point of one demostrating when a case is straight forward.so police please dont condon idiocy butcher any unruly chap.
Please LT furnish us with all details concerning this case. We are failing to comment logically.
Sometimes I fail to understand the reasoning of some bloggers on here. Yes they bought cars from their loans so what? A stupid thing to do yes but haven`t we seen this before where Barclays comes from? People getting a loan to buy a car and go on holiday? Any one one? How much debt has Barclays written off as bad debt in the wake of recession? Did they get people`s benefits?
Sometimes I fail to understand the reasoning of some bloggers on here. Yes they bought cars from their loans so what? A s t u p i d thing to do yes but haven`t we seen this before where Barclays comes from? People getting a loan to buy a car and go on holiday? Any one one? How much debt has Barclays written off as bad debt in the wake of recession? Did they get people`s benefits?
Yes there is getting a loan and securing it on say a house. But, how many loans have barclays given out even to people living in a council house where they come from and just wrote the loans off because the i d o t s went to the courts and declared themselves bankrupty? Double standards is all I can see here. No wonder they say you have to leave a minimum balance when they can never do the same to their people.
I do not see how cheques would have resolved the issue. You need to deposit the cheque and since these guys’ accounts were with Barclays, the money would still have disappeared. However, I think Barclays is being deceitful. These loans were insured in case a worker was retrenched. This means the Bank will reap twice, from the insurance it claimed and from the terminal benefits. This is just plain wrong
There is really no ligical story to this issue and information in the media is very scanty.
The bank is entitled to recover all loans that it gave to the miners and its for the two parties to sit down and iron out how the repayments will be done when the borrower leaves employment.
There was no need for the miners to demonstrate and act as a group when they have individual loan agreements (contracts) with the bank.
What the miners should have done is to take legal action to recover their money with interest, as the bank is using their money.
This really seems a straight forward issue but again we only have insufficient information.
#4 AKAPONDO, It is sad that you say the miners deserved to be clobbered. They were not riotous or violent, why then should they be treated like that? When journalists are attacked by MMD thugs for no apparent reason the same police just look away. It is more than clear that Zambia under Rupiah is a brutal police state and just a week ago the minister Mangani said the police were going to acquire more riot kits and we can expect they will be used to silence those who dare challenge the dictatorship.
You can cash a cheque without depositing it. It is at a cost though and most of these miners wouldn`t have minded. When banks give out loans, they insure them. Chances are they are claiming insurance as well.
MAGICROUNDABOUT,
Dont confuse yourself.my reasoning is upto date.you didn’t mention names but even a wapped person would know who you trying to attack.but fine those fools bought cars out of those as you trying to justify .now it’s pay back time let them pay back the loans.there is no reason for barclays to write them off as if the people owing are dead.next time pump up your half brain before you call me names numb skull.and mind you barclays is not a branch of hope foundation or MMCI but a business entity with the sole purpose of making profit
The truth of the matter is that miners got loans from the bank for different reasons and now most of these people have been retrenched and dont have any means of paying the money back. Now what the bank has done is to hold the money meant to be paid to these miners as terminal benefits What the bank is doing is actually getting out the cash owed to it by these miners. Banshi mine utulo they thought they would have zamahala with backlays. I dont blame the bank to be honest. .
ignorance realy expensive