Sata, Shamenda -Help us,cry Lafarge Cement factory workers

1. elo lwanya!

2. yes. they should even attend to government workers.

3. wapya munzi

   • Village on fire.. How come?

4. Don’t worry help is on it’s way. This company makes a lot of money the world over. They will pay up or they will face the law.

5. INDEED WE WANT SATA AND SHAMENDA TO HELP US. AS AM TYPING WORKERS HERE AT CHAMBISHI METALS PLC HAVE DOWNED TOOLS AND THEY ARE OUTSIDE THE GENERAL OFFICES DEMANDING FOR THE 40% THAT WAS REMOVED FROM THEIR SALARIES YEARS BACK. THEY WERE PROMISED THAT MONEY BACK. NOW THE COPPER PRICE IS $10,000 PER TONNE. THEY WANT THE CEO WHO IS AN INDIAN TO GO.

6. Oh dear

7. Please visit KCM aswell conditions are not as good as they potray

8. 1.8m isnt bad.. there are people who get as little as 350pin per month. but dont worry, we have heard your grivances and will act accordingly.

9. Please watch the Kwacha. It is in freefall.

10. Power to the people! Amadhla yetu!

11. IF THE LOWEST PAID IS A GRADE 9 CLEANER, K1.8 MILLION IS ENOUGH.

12. This is the problem of advacting for things, where do you say stop now this is enough. The company in question is playing the game as per the laws of the land, by apying way above the minimum wage. The issue should be equal pay for equal work and how many expertriates should be accommodated. The other solution should be that now you union should feel empowered to ask for more without fear as we have a govt in power which is for the workers. Otherwise asking for help from Sata is too much in your case.

13. Although my question is this, why should the govt intercede when these chaps have a union?

    • Chalwe, In the article, it says the union is intimidated and hence they have resorted to asking help from the minister and the president. Please read through the article before you ask!

    • Chalwe, casual workers can not be unionised, hence the need for these workers to be fully employed and not just contracted. The unionised workers, according to this article, are too few.

14. @#9Iwe chi Voice stop Kachepa. The Kwacha is actually fairing well now. You MMD guys were abusing people in the name of keeping the kwacha stable.

    If what these guys are saying is true then there is something wrong. £20 000 to £40 000 per month plus other allowances? They don`t get that in the UK do they?

15. That min amnt is ok 4 casual worker if hasnt gone beyond G12 than 400pin.

16. #13 Ba Chalwe, please read the article slowly and carefully. The Union is intimidated and controlled by management

17. The French are always a problem when it comes to paying reasonable wages. A random check at French owned companies is same. Total, SNV (AMI) and Lafarge. They are exploiting consumers, When the put up a big factory at Chilanga Plant we were made to understand that production was going to more than double and there will be plenty of cement on the market. Now it is the opposite. Let Dangote open up another plant so that they are given competition.Zambezi Portland is another let down, their pricing mechanism is suspect they product is at par with Lafarge. Zambian Breweries is another culprit. Its dominance in the Drinks industry should be checked. Its investment in the local community is not enough compared to other countries where it operates. Crack the whip the sooner the better.

18. I think there are alot of companies in the same shoes. Larfarge even sounds ok. I work for a company that doesnt give gratuity, bonuses,allowances or anything other than basic pay. However, I dont think the zambian government can look into every company. Thats why companies have unions to help out. Sometimes it jes becomes necessary to find employment elsewhere.

19. 1.8million is not that bad as others hav its depends on qualifications anyway. some people only get K250.000.but just deal with the Union.

20. Yes kcm,please our leaders help us..ZCCM was BETTER,were is it??

    We cry..

    • :((

    • Don’t expect anything good from Indians or Chinese. Don’t even know why we entertain them in the country.

21. @#9Iwe chi Voice stop Kachepa. The Kwacha is actually fairing well now. You MMD guys were abusing people in the name of keeping the kwacha stable.

    If what these guys are saying is true then there is something wrong. K150 million to K350million per month plus other allowances? They don`t get that in the UK do they?

    This comment is pending approval by a site moderator.

22. Oh dear! All I am getting now is:

    This comment is pending approval by a site moderator.

23. Mr. Shamenda, please visit MTN Zambia and get the real story of how workers were terminated on condition that they were declared redundant. A Chinese company bought off the Technological department of MTN and has put them on contracts which are less than two years. The Law states that if anyone is work is terminated they should find alternative employment for which their conditions of service shall be better or equal to the previous employers. But in this case they are all on contracts. Managed Services is a good business strategy but it should NOT be used to disadvantage young energetic Engineers who have nowhere to go and be least exploited by the Chinese. Twapapata ba Minister visit this issue. Justice delayed is justice denied.

24. the issue of wages is narrowly understood. salaries are paid from profits generated not sales. therefore if the guys salary is K1.8 million and all he does is clean and driver the tipper that is more than enough. you should also understand those who do manual work are only working under instructions but the guys who plan for the company 10-15years ahead are the ones doing the actual work,hence more pay. go to school dont just sit and xpect to be paid enough.

    • I agree. If the person says the lowest is 1.8milion, that is not bad. Others need a wake up call no wonder that reply song to masese is true. You found a job and signed a contract as a cleaner and you want me a graduate to be equal in pay? Maybe complaining of the gap is understood especially expertriates with exobitant pays.

25. Some of you guys captain your own life. This thing of depending on a polititian to drive your life is a waste of time. You will die without achieving anything in life.Stand up and look out there in the horizon opportunities are begging

26. The lowest paid gets $360 and this guy is still complaining? Please Sir why dont you go and work for a PF run company. I gather they pay very well! So bwana Sata has become the pay master who decides how much workers in each company should be paid? Has Sata ever run any business in his life I wonder? My dear complainant if your union leaders are timid cowards just elect another set of representatives. There is nothing wrong Lafarge is doing in playing hardball! The Sata you are appealing to is also a bully! My friend join the club and dont let yourself be bullied. You should be ashamed of yourself going around crying that you are being bullied! Your parents did a bad job on you. I was told to stand up to bullies by my parents and it has served me well!

    • foolish *****, sata has companies and estates and he runs them well.

27. Can Mr shamenda also visit Lumwana mine were workers are made to work like slaves. they start work at 16:00hrs and end at 18hrs. they have not proper hospital yet they have alot of families around. the workers are also not even proper sick leave when they are sick. the gap between zambians and expatriates is significantly way too high.

    • mean they start work at 06:00hrs and end 18hrs

    • OMG say isn’t true! These poor slaves are made to work a 2 hour day all the way from 16 to 18. Imagine! I bet they don’t even get a tea break and that the evil foreign owner pays these hardworking and efficient grade 9 dropouts less than K2m per month. Please Mr Sata restore the sanity!

    • OMG – say it isn’t true! These poor slaves are made to work a two hour day from 16 to 18hrs. I bet the poor workers don’t even get a tea break and that the evil foreign owner pays the floor sweeper less thank K2million per month. Please restore the sanity!

28. True 1.8 million is not bad. The problem is most people advocating for better salaries used to dogg at school. How can you compare yourself to degree holders and guys with Phd’s when you dont even have a mare grade nine certificate. Lets also look at the qualifications. Conditions of employment are an exemption.

    • KK2 you are right. now some grade 7 failures also want to get paid like qualified pipo.

29. Wait we are on the way.

30. people please. factory workers getting 1.8 and they are complaining. i know graduates who get less than that. chaps are just getting greedy. this will drive inflation up.

31. Labour laws were changed during MMD but people did not understand what was going on and MPs probably didnt understand what they were signing on.

    Reverse labour laws that allowed companies to have so many casual labour or contractors. We never used to have such things in Zambia 10 yrs ago. Whatever was there was little.

    We should not just sign up to ILO’s conventions or change laws just to suit international investors. Contracting is here in the West but the minimum wage is good and the govt supplements those with low salaries with child benefits, tax credits etc etc. So you cannot just adopt Endlish labour laws for instance when you dont have a comparable social safety net to help the poor.

    Our MPs are a disapointment!

32. The Chinese have bought off the Technological department of MTN Zambia which is very true. My cousin is working for this same Chinese coy who have cutoff certain conditions of service my cousin enjoyed under MTN Zambia. Conditions of Service must be same or better. Permanent employment is one condition of service which has been breached in this case. In the same company there many Chinese guys who am told do not even speak a single English word, yet they have taken away Zambian jobs. The Law is very clear on this and yet MTN Zambia has behaved very unprofessional. That Zambian HR should wakeup or she will visit the courts of Law frequently or worse off dent her CV. We don’t need his H.E MCS to say something on this but we trust Ba Shamenda is the man to solve this issue….twapapata

33. My friend we told you that the more money in your pocket was just a myth period. What you need to do is vote for better leaders in your union who can represent you adequately. If they fail impeach them. For the PF gvt, all we need is putting up a law that will stipulate the minimum wage and not just yapping like they are doing. By law larfarge is actually paying almost 4 times what the law says today. So what i expect from “men of action” (shamenda) is to be busy drafting some law on such a matter with consultation from stake holders , unions, NGOs, employers etc. So far there is no sign that this is being done. Well come to Zambia the real africa coz all we are hearing is minister so so warns employers etc. dont cry get up and invets your K1.8m

34. i better send my cv and application to lafarge because i earn 800 pin so 1.8 will be more than 100% increament for me

35. ah 1.8m lowest that company is doing very fine and those complaining are indirectly boasting about it…and if the current govt does not control this issue of workers protesting unnecessarily, very soon we’ll have war in the country

36. The Shamenda u are crying to used to be a labour leader,He did nothing,What makes u think he has changed today?

37. These f.ools dont know what they are talking about. K1.8m is a lot of money. Even our secretaries in government offices do not get that much. Guys this is not time to start issues that do not hold water. To hell withthis uncalled for complaints.
    Yes I will send my CV also to Lafage so that I can get more cash even as a cleaner after all it will be more than my K800 pin as a teacher.
    Besides these chaps used to dodge school and now they want to get more money like people with degrees and the like. Just get your 1.8m and keep quiet. I am sure that these guys are just drunk with what PF can do in 90 days. Hypothetically 90 days myth will just bring us chaos. I urge Lafarge not to feel intimidated with these vain fortune seekers. I end here!

    • U must be a very childish human being actually a worst fool of all the fools can u say 1.8m is ok maybe i ken 4giv u since u just litter picker,not so!

38. True

39. The salary is ok, but other incentives like gratuity and bonus shud be looked into.

40. Zambian salaries will never improve if we continue having people that think earning K1.8m is okay for general workers. Looking at what the named company is making. That amount is a total insult not only to the said workers but also to the government and the whole nation at large. Honestly speaking why should an expatriate with the same qualification and experience as mine earn three to four times more than I the citizen. This isn’t the case in our neighboring countries. Please may our government do something and ignore or rather educate those citizens who are lost and now feel K1.8m is a lot of money because of too much poverty due to ever low salaries.

41. Its pay back time for these multi nationals they have really been exploiting Zambian workers for too

42. Lafarge is a shit company and the major culprits are the indigenous Zambian managers themselves. I once worked there, and this ***** imbecile called chief accountant (Zambian), who happened to be a chief bootlicker to an Indian financial controller, banned overtime payment-you were not entitled to any overtime even when you worked late and weekends-you worked for free!!! Indeed the union is bought and 80% of the employees are casual contract workers-its a shame considering the fact that the company makes billions!! This person is telling the truth, please help them!!

43. Its pay back time for these multi nationals they have really been exploiting Zambian workers for too long.

44. Mwanguni (and others) why do you point fingers only at multi-national companies? Do you believe that Zambian-owned firms always pay better wages and abide by the letter of every labour law? Truly, your kind of baseless xenophobia does Zambia a great disservice.

45. hey thats a greeer pasture! can sum 1 give me contact detals for larfage oh!1.8 is cool cash as a casual worker without academic papers! hey by the way Mr. Shamenda we also need your attention in the civil; service maka maka ministry of information, Boradcasting ,&Tourism we need a salary review

46. these chaps shd not even complain 1.8 metre is enough and imagine for the lowest paid worker which means its obviously an office ordlerly who pockets 1.8 more than my salary what more trained workers at largehuh! the company is very fair in its consditions of service no need for government intervetion in my view!

47. K1.8 is enough? you guys must be joking. where in Zambia do you live?

48. I would like to ask everyone that claims K1.8 million is not enough to please state if they give their maids anywhere near there. The qualifications and level of education is probably the same with the lowest paid employees in Lafarge. Lets be honest and accept that K1.8 m is a lot of money. These guys are being sensational and thats why they claim they cannot strike. They cannot raise these issues in such a public manner because there are people out there that genuinely earn low salaries. K1.8 for a grade 9 or grade 12 dropout too little? Let him quit and get a higher amount elsewhere then!!

    • I totally agree with you, most people don’t even get on million a year and on average a maid is paid K200,000/month only few lucky one get up to K800,000.

    • Good question, but I doubt that these people even have maids…

49. A qualified accountant in government gets less than k1.8m thus GSS 12.U shud be happy with this salary.are u trying to tease us or what

50. Lafarge workers – You are allowing management to treat you this way, so shut up or do something about it yourselves. Stop whining!

51. k1.800 IS ENOUGH FOR A WORKER IN zAMBIA. WHAT DO THEY WANT

52. ON THIS LAFARGE SAGA ONLY THE CASUALISATION OF JOBS WILL NEED HONORABLE SHAMENDAS’ ATTENTION. THE SALARIES SEEMS TO BE OK. LAFARGE EMPLOYEES GET YOUR UNION TO BE AGGRESSIVE, MOST FRENCH COMPANIES ARE STINGY!

53. please visit mopani copper mines as well,we are also suffering here ka….kcm is better than us

54. visit all the mines on the cb e.g mcm

55. 53 do you know anyone by the name of Banda at mopani mine?he got money from my brother promising him for a job but he disappeared.am looking for him.

56. These are the outcomes of the the so called “privatization.” Why is the Lord taking too long to come as his people have suffered enough? Minerals in Africa are a curse…..as they only corrupt our greedy politicians.

57. While I agree 1.8m kwacha is not enough pay…it is considerably more compared to other companies wages. Look at any business and the top person will be paid millions more than the lowest paid worker…that is how business works, Appealing to your President over this…I think is taking advantage! I hope he does not get involved in a private company’s affairs. In the US, the minimum wage is $7.25/hr…NO ONE can live on this! But people who have a job paying this have no right to complain to President Obama…it is a law, what more can he do??? Adjust the minimum wage, to a reasonable amount, and let businesses be businesses. 

58. these chaps at larfarge do not  know what they want they are useles.

    • #58 you are foolish,i thing you are not a zambian chap

59. 57,58
    You two guys must be out of your God given sweet minds,to start with wat do u do and how much do earn?This 1.8million u are seeing is an amount given to an operator who does some shifts operations and actually looks after machinery so neatly but not to a cleaner/tea maker no.So if u do not want us to improve from our previouse corrupt attitudes or cheap chines and lebanese payments continue with yo miopik thoughts and pliz leave us alone to cry to our beloved and saviour man brought on earth by and this no other than our well behaved President.And if u think its not right to ask from the head of state then u must the most useless and most spitted chaps and one of the most men who some of women from de previouse goverment use to insult in public.Am u from de opposition,u dirt magots.

60. Bafikala, K1.8million for a mere gatekeeper is alot of money. After-all most of you were employed by through your relatives, and you have no education, even though you cough cement. Now you are insulting us, especially Teachers.

    • Ulimbushi nomuchila uutali,do u think that lafarge is like a sweet manufacturing company NO……NO. my dear its a company that makes 380billion profit every year so pliz lets not support these kasayiz to be taking our pride money to FRANCE ok!

61. The headline reminds me of the passage in the Bible from Judges 3:15: “But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer…”

    When poor people cry, their voice will reach the heavens and God shall hear and act. Lafarge, KCM, Mopani and other workers, it may be a dog eat dog world for now but hold on, as some bloggers have said, help is on the way. The Lord shall send you the deliverer.

    Having said that, I was of the impression that mines & construction industry workers had collective wage agreements (tarifs?) But then, the complainant says some workers are still on contracts even after 10 years!! This is exploitation. Mr. Shamenda, please visit them.

62. The issue on hand is to compare lafarge ndola works and lafarge lusaka works.a person at laferge lusaka gets more money compared to the person in ndola doing the same work and same grades.give people what they want.

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