Chinkuli
FIRST Quantum Minerals (FQM) has awarded its workers new conditions of service for the period till 2016 starting with a 10 per cent salary hike for this year.
For the period 2015, the salary increment will be pegged at eight per cent while in 2016, a seven per cent increment has been agreed.
FQM country manager, Kingsley Chinkuli said the mining giant was committed to ensure a motivated workforce to help increase productivity for the benefit of the country.
FQM signed the agreement with the Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers representatives in Lusaka yesterday.
“Management of FQM welcome the newly signed Collective Agreement and we commend both negotiating teams for understanding each in the process of negotiations. Management notes that the labour union plays an important role to ensure that workers concerns are addressed and as management we also want to ensure the workers are productive and properly enumerated,” General Chinkuli said.
He said it was vital that the mine remained focused on increasing production levels and said that in the process of negotiations, it was also important that parties involved welcomed each other’s views.
And NUMAW president James Chansa said despite the process of negotiations being characterised by challenges, it was gratifying to note parties involved had finalised the process and signed the new Agreement.
Mr Chansa called on FQM employees to accept the new package unveiled to them and that his Union would continue to work with management to ensure conditions were improved in the years to come.
“It is good that concluded the negotiations without having any unrest and this is the way to go, I want to appeal to the workers to accept the new Collective Agreement,” he said.
His MUZ counterpart, Nkole Chishimba also expressed gratitude that the negotiations were successfully handled.
“We are happy and I want to the members to remain focused as we continue to address their various needs,” he said.
The Collective Agreement indicated that the parties would, effective October 2015, meet to access the seven per cent increase provided in the year 2016, to see if it would be appropriate based on favourable Copper prices, increase in productivity, inflation rise and salary movements across the industry.
Same rubbish as earlier announced in December. how can you negotiate for three years, Who knows what happens tomorrow. the agreement has been signed and they will be no more meetings as you have mentioned in this article.
these wages are budgeted for in dollars by these mining companies and what happens is they manipulate the rate of the kwacha so that even when the employees are given a ‘payrise’ what the company spends on wages is the same as the kwacha would have fallen to the levels they want
Huh! General Chinkuli still holding on in employment! Where will his grand children find jobs?
wat air conditioned rooms can do 2 a typical zambian
Is his name Chinkhuli or Chinkuli?
Chinkuli comes from Chibombo, Lenje,the first zambia Army commander in the dead but alive unip.
The mines produces a lot of copper in our country,I therefore won the incumbent president to decist from mal agreements the whites