Friday, March 29, 2024

NFCA increase pay to K2million for lowest paid worker

Share

Labour Deputy Minister Rayford Mbulu has instructed all unionised workers who had downed tools at the Non-Ferrous Mining Company of Africa NFCA in Chambishi to resume normal duties immediately.

This is because the company and the government have resolved their critical concerns including the basic pay for the miners.

Mr. Mbulu says management at NFCA has agreed to pay K2million as basic salary for the lowest paid worker.

He says no worker will also be victimized for protesting to demand improved conditions of service.

He says the workers were not on strike but merely protesting against alleged prolonged oppression.

But the Deputy Minister has wondered why the company has suddenly agreed to increase salaries for its workers when all along NFCA indicated that it was not able.

But NFCA Corporate Affairs Manager Nelson Jilowa says management has no comment on the matter at the moment.

When asked when the management would respond, Mr. Jilowa who attended the Deputy Minister’s press briefing with other NFCA Senior officials told ZNBC News that comment has been reserved.

Meanwhile Mr. Mbulu has directed Scaw Limited in Kitwe to immediately stop casualisation of labour.

He has also instructed Murray and Roberts of Chingola to harmonise salaries for Zambians and expatriates.

He also warned Chambeshi Metals to normalise salaries which were reportedly reduced by forty per cent during the 2008 global recession.

Mr. Mbulu says the Patriotic Front PF government is eager to create an enabling environment for investment
[ZNBC]

53 COMMENTS

    • Well the K2m is a wonderful beginning of better things to come. It only goes to show that there was on patriotism on our leaders. Well done so far and let us bring back our decency as a people. We can for once sing our national anthem of “strong and free” with pride.

  1. Good. There should be a law compelling all mining companies to pay workers equally irrespective of colour and nationality…47 years after independence and we are second class employees in our own country!

  2. The government should also increase the salaries of all it’s workers because some get less than that K2million given to the miners!

  3. Revise health workers allowance:Housing,night duty allowance,uniform allowance,overtime allowance,rural hardship allowance and those with specialisations to be appreciated.We can come back home.

  4. this is good development. Expatriates should be limited in number and should only come in to train our locals for two years. Thereafter, should they decide to stay the status of expatriate must be dropped. One more issue PF govt, the housing policy should be looked into. This is what is taking 40 to 60% of people’s money from the pockets. One way to do this would be after 90 days start building high rise flats for govt workers targeting MoE, MoD, MoH and others. this will increase the pool of house in themajor cities and naturally housing or rents will normalize. the other way would be to fix prices according to areas (provide policy guidance) with max to be charge, anything above to be illegal.

  5. Wow wow wow so management underpaid them when they knew they could pay more. Shame. It is obvious that it had to take the people’s govt to come into power for the unionised  to have courage to “protest”  as that is the word you use. Don’t know how many negotiations, if any, before you awarded the K2MM minimum. By the way what is the awarded percentage? does someone know?

  6. Development in less than 90days! shocking and yet possible! I was Kenya last week, Sata made headlines every day and put a spotlight on Kenyan politicians. Lets go Zambia! where can i buy a Zambian flag?

  7. KCM must also harmonise salaries for Zambians and expatriates….did you know that the lowest paid indian gets not less than USD3500 plus free accomodation, access to company canteens mileage claim etc. while a zambian of equal qualification \nd doing similar duties will get just about USD950…with no access to canteen, no mileage claim, no company accomodation. what the f u c k. in our own country….then when we start xenophobia ati we are bad…..

  8. Pabwato! Miner have started crossing to the other side where there is more money in their pockets. Land of milk and honey …. Please for minimum wage kindly age employers that Diploma Holders should not get less tha K3m, Degree not than K4m, Master not than K8M and PHD not than K15M by doing this you will encourage us the citizens to upgrade our education. 

    Kindly bring sanity to the police force and teachers too. K1.8M is too little for the police force

  9. ALso instruct moolmans to harmonise the salaries for its employees especially after signing new contracts. How can they subject employees to the same conditions of the previous contract? Government must surely intervene.

  10. Let us work on the maufacturing aspect as well so that we balance the demand and the supply sides otherwise inflation will hit us bad and the celebrations of more money in all pockets will be shortlived.

  11. Pabwato should also look at Agro processing companies..too may expatriates.Am beginning to over love PF…..keep it up..Sata the King cobra has come to liberate Zambia.

  12. Below is a letter from Mopani Copper Mines Plc circulating ONLY to Zambian Contractors.
    “Please note that it is mandatory for all Zambian companies to insure their employees against occupational risks with the Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board.
    Further note that the Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board has requested Mopani to request all Contractors to comply to the above and submit their current certificate of registration to mentioned Board by 7 October 2011.
    Please reply to this e-mail by scanning mentioned document and attaching such to this e-mail for us to forward to the Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board”.
    Please ignore this message if you are not a Zambian company.
    Regards
    Ty Minnaar
    Group Supply Manager

  13. #18 Even in USA govt workers are not paid the same as private companies. The threshored is what is important. Let them state the minimum for professionals. Even civil servants are allowed to resign and join the private companies. This is a good development PF hats off.

  14. I have just read on page twelve of the Post that a Recruiter has excluded Zambians in a craftsmen job advert. This is not a minute issue and if it is true as reported, the company involved must be brought to book immediately. And I mean immediately.Don’t we have qualified Zambians to take up jobs as craftsmen? Why should our people be denied jobs expressely on account of their nationality? Its high time these so called investers started respecting us Zambians for who we are.

  15. oops Mu bwato mu nveka mushe

    .This is why i voted pa maka.More money in our pockets.I enjoyed the speech of Mr.Sata yestarday. Really it was encouraging to note that Mr Sata still thinks Zambia should no have so many poor people.I was really inspired.For the first time i’ve stated feeling that i’m a zambia.My dignity is coming back slowly.viva PF
    we love u

  16. Well done PF government and this is a lesson to all employers.
    However, these wholesale increments will trigger a rise in commodity prices and inflation as there is no corresponding increase in output of consumer goods.
    One of the better ways to avoid this scenario is to REDUCE income TAX from the present exploitative figure and hence will increase the take-home-pay of all workers in the country.
    Mr President, please look into the Income Tax issue and harmonise it with other countries in the SADCC region.

  17. Instruct RB to also increase salaries at his companies. He cant even be ashamed that aleikala pansambu shesu, mwikateni nimambala!

  18. This a welcome move. It’s also hear the de.puty minister talk about salary harmonisation 4 expartriates and locals, please extend this call to kcm.

  19. Ba kateka should immediately start grooming someone who will take over from him because beyond 2016, he will be too old to perform. Dont do the way Chiluba did, he is the one who caused Zambia to have a leader like RB.

  20. Good news. Hope the salaries for expatriates in the mines will be the next to tackle. We should not allow ourselves to be exploited in our own country.

  21. May be this will conform to the Zambia is now a mid income propanganda we were subjected to.Imagine how the economic growth of the country as preached could not trickle to an ordinaly citzen.

  22. This move by NFCA is suspicious. Lets wait until next year, if they will still sustain the same or increase labourforce and not downsize. It is like these guys they come to torment us, what sin did we, Zambians, commit kashi.

  23. Have not committed any sin.Zambia has immense copper reserves.In the hey days it once was among the largest copper and cobalt producer. Count yourselves luck.If we had oil or diamonds u all know the rest of the story with this minerals.

  24. We are still the worlds 7th largest copper producer and we are still languishing in poverty with 80% living on less that $1 a day. And when the government comes and tries to put policies in place to improve our lively woods we cry the sky is falling, there is all this doom and gloom about how the economy will fail. GUYS South African mining companies have set their standards based on Australia, and they implement them why cant we do the same??? eish slavery is bad even when you are liberated you still want to act and go back to Egypt.. YUNFWISHENIKO BWINO BA ZAMBIA THIS SLAVE MENTALITY NEEDS TO GO.

  25. Great news NFCA.Bravo Mr President.Bravo Hon. Minister.This is what we expect as Zambians.Some friends at NFCA have actually hinted to me that Mr Mbulu said K2,000,000.00 across the board,not as basic salary for the lowest paid work.What could be the true position?Please clarify.

  26. Good move, looking forward to better conditions of service from our employers. Labour inspectors should carry out a survey and see how Zambians are treated in their own country. Its not all investors that mistreat and abuse the local people. Thumbs up to employers who recognize that its workers who make them who they are in business. We salute government on the positive move for its call to review the minimum wage and improve the conditions of service for the workers.%%-

  27. We urge the PF govt to make sure that we soldiers get our money according to our qualification and rank. There is no way a grade twelve should get more money than a diploma holder. We also want to rise from cpl to general as long as you have what it takes. pls, help us sweep the defence force

    • Observer you are really spot on. Who can you put eggs and bananas in one basket, they should be definitely a difference in salaries according to the qualifications one has than subjecting the whole group to one salary scale. Sanity is slowly coming back to Zambia. More need to be done, hence we have a lot of mineral deposits in our country, lets utilize the gifts God gave us to better our lives.

  28. While this is good news, I am afraid that most companies are increasing workers perks without back pay in tow. These workers have been in negotiations for a long time so where is the back pay?

  29. Labour Ministry should just give a directive a
    to all employers to harmonise the salaries.Instead of going from campany to company.Also ensure the wages are no more mentioned as they bleed causuaisation.

  30. Colleagues at NFCA mining company in Chambishi were shocked today(11th October, 2011) when Chinese staff knocked off very early without explaining were they were rushing to.Running away after increasing salaries by K2,000,000.00?That’s strange!!!!!!!!I hope the increment in not a hoax.Chinese investors are very selfish people.The government should try Taiwan.Ministry of Labour please follow-up.

  31. Remarkable things here. I’m very glad to see your post. Thanks so much and I am looking ahead to contact you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading