Workers at leading chain store Shoprite in most parts of the country have gone on strike, forcing the firm to close.
A check at Manda Hill, Chilenje and Cairo road found protesting workers outside chanting anti-management slogans.
A few workers who spoke on condition of anonymity said working conditions in Shoprite almost to modern day slavery.
They revealed that some them received as low as K800 depending on the hours they work and that majority of the workers at most Shoprite store take home a paltry K1,200.
A female employee said, “We do a lot of work here. There is exploitation of workers in Shoprite but we are paid peanuts. These people are making a lot of money but they pay us poorly.”
“I work at the till and on average I make K60,000 per day but imagine the fact that Shoprite Manda Hill has over 20 tills and they all make the same per day. How much money do you think these people make? And yet they still pay us peanuts.”
The workers appealed to President Edgar Lungu to intervene and direct Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda to take to task Shoprite management’s failure to implement salary increments that were agreed up last year after another strike action.
And PF Media Committee Member Sunday Chanda has accused UPND President Hakainde Hichilema of being behind the latest strike action at Shoprite.
“We know that HH owns shares in Shoprite and he is working with management to offer slave wages to Shoprite workers in order to force them to down tools. Once that is done, HH hopes to gain political capital from this situation,” Mr Chanda said.
“As the PF we are hereby challenging Shoprite Zambia General Manager Charles Bota to come out clean and deny the political hand from HH in this strike. We as PF know that this action is political because of HH’s share ownership in Shoprite,” he said.
When reached for a comment, Mr Bota refused to issue any comment.
Sunday Chanda, stop embarrassing yourself twapapata
Sunday, you are too dull to be true that you work at state house for that matter. How does a shareholder influence what is paid to the workers, it seems you have no understanding how things operate, no wonder you have run down the economy of this country. I shareholder only waits for the dividends, hopefully you understand even what dividends are. Some education in this area would have helped, but considering the fact that you are PF, it is hard to educate your kind.
sunday chanda is a lunatic..what kind of boy is he..so silly and unlearned..get lost..why blame HH
Yes HH is capable of doing that just for him to get into state house. a
Since he has a stake in the entity let him intervain. Anyway we know that his in the habit of paying peanuts.
How can a shareholder encourage workers in his own company to go on strike?
im in tears!!! LMAO!!! That’s the level of mediocrity we have with this party in govt!!
Imagine! PF has totally failed. Kuyabebele come 11 August.
imagin!
Really laughable!!!!!!
Sunday Chanda please stop seeing Hakainde in every shadow. Your attempts to draw Hakainde in the Shoprite industrial dispute makes me wonder if you are under the influence of some hallucinatory and psychotropic alkaloid like cocaine or some modified cannabinoids.
Inflation at 22% and the people are feeling the squeeze. PF now seeing shadows of HH even at night.
Sunday Chanda has accused UPND President Hakainde Hichilema of being behind the latest strike action!!!
It is because of your PF and Lungus total ignorance and incompetence on how to manage the economy that these workers are suffering. Just think if you have the brains to, if the Kwacha was 3.5 to the Dollar would they be complaining????
Just how dull can a peson be? My 4 year old son has more sense than this clown!
inflation is 20.2%
Unless a shareholder owns a majority of shares they have no direct say in how the company is run.
Instead, PF are the ones who have been in charge of labour policy the past five years. In all that time, they updated the minimum wage once. Whose fault is that?
How many time in the past 5 years President salary was increased?
Don’t even waste time explaining to them. My only hope is for LAZ to keep this aspiring lawyer (Sunday Chanda) as far away from the bar as possible as a way of protecting their integrity and uphold intellectual standards.
But being PF is like renouncing all rights to have a functioning brain. Look at Kudos and this Sunday m0r0n.
Next, sunday chanda will be claiming that UNZA workers and lecturers are on strike because HH as a shareholder in the national treasury is working with Ministry of finance to frustrate UNZA workers by not paying their August salaries. Look around you Brother Sunday Chanda, everything is following apart. The economy has ground to a halt; banks are laying off workers because the only liquidity they now have is civil servants’ salaries. Small companies are closing down, njala everywhere, frustrations mu ma nyuma; criminals released from prison busy killing people, inflation rate which pf found at 7% is now at 20%. All because of pf borrowing five billion dollars to build 500 Km (out of 8,000km) of roads. The rest mwadya! And you want our vote you? No no no! Aleisa Aleisa….
Sunday Chanda chipuba sana. amano tamwaba mu mutwe. Well said UnZA Moma, pa 11th aba ba sakala kuya bebele…
TOTAL IGNORANCE BA CHANDA…….
what … Sunday Chandaa please you 5tupid 1d10t . Do you have to bring HH in this aswell. Get a life 1d10t.
i quote (average I make K60,000 per day ) thats not for shorite mama may be shoprite makes only K15,000.00 from that the least is for the owners of the items you sell for them you fool.
Yes next time Chanda will complain for the problem which is in his house, that HH is a shareholder that’s why he has no food
Very true. He will even claim that HH owns shares in PF that is why everyone is complaining and not wanting the violent party. Truth be told, the living cost has become too much because of malfunctioning economy. These are probably salary they have been getting in past 5 years
MAPOLO YANU VONSE NI HH, WHEN CAMPAIGNING, INSTEAD OF TELLING US WHAT YOU INTEND TO DO FOR THE BETTER ZAMBIA, FOR YOU IT’S JUST HH AND GBM IN YOUR STINKING MOUTHS. BAFIKALA YOU ARE ALL FOOLISH NO WONDER YOU ARE VOTING YOU OUT. JUST ORDER THE MANAGEMENT OF SHOPRITE TO GIVE THIER WORKERS SALARY INCREMENTS BUT AS FAR AS AM CONCERNED THESE ARE YOUR PF MINIMUM WAGES. STUPID AND USELESS GOVERNMENT LEADERS ZAMBIA HAS EVER HAD. WHERE ARE THE SOLDIERS TO TAKE YOUR BOSS OUT? COWARD ZAMBIAN SOLDIERS WHO HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED WAR. RUBBISH
Sunday chanda,then hh deserves presidency cause he is in control of everything in this country.pf must go very ignorant chaps,just good at dancing.
Next time when sunday chanda’s wife protests for not having enoough sex the guy will blame HH .
Ooh my wif cant get enough sex from me because HH is a share holder in my bedroom affairs –
Shame!!
What a bunch of morons you Zambians have allowed to take of your resources.
Correct this messy or perish. You have a chance on 11/08/2016. 7 days to go to either breath fresh air or continue with this pungent smell of a toxic party.
Make no mistake vote for UPND the HH/GBM ticket
Where is Kudos to give us an explanation of how HH is controlling the economy.
Mr Terrible…..your people are now hallucinating….can you explain to them that the great HH has nothing to do with prices.
The height of mediocrity! very sickening. Lord… what sin have we committed to deserve this?
Even kudos has ran and taken cover in shame at the idiocity of his people.
Or may be he will be tempted to come out of hiding and appear to defend this PF position ?
We have heard really silly things coming from Sunday Chanda, but this paranoia about HH is not normal. People close to Sunday must make an effort to get him checked by a shrink. It seems everyone in the PF top echelon is off their rails. You talk of Chama, Mumbi Phiri, Frank Bwalya, Kambwili and ECL himself, they all seem to need serious help. May be the late old man Sata left something in this party?
PF you better stop Sunday Chanda from talking on behalf of PF he is not normal HH has nothing to do with this and let him show us proof that HH is a major share holder otherwise that means you better give HH the respect die to him his owns all major companies in Zambia. You PF spokespersons are all very dull and stupid people anyone can prove this by just reading nonsense that come from top to bottom in your party. I would ask to look at the law degree that President Lungu holds because I have many doubts if at all he has ever practiced law on a serious note.
Seeing ghosts everywhere, ka? Who do you call? Ghost busters, kikikikikiki! If it was not pathetic, it would be funny.
A story about Shoprite workers striking becomes a Sunday Chanda political charade!
I am surprised at myself for even commenting…
Workers striking for higher wages and improved conditions of service is a management issue and not a Shareholder issue. Shoprite workers are striking for higher wages becoz of the higher cost of living caused by higher inflation. Inflation is now around 22% p.a due to the mismanagement of the economy by Chanda’s boss ,Edgar Lungu. Lungu and PF’s misguided policies have pushed Inflation to 22% p.a leading to higher cost of living. HH has nothing to do with poor PF economic policies. Chanda should blame his Boss, the visionless and clueless Edgar Lungu for strike and higher prices.Chanda should leave the sober,intelligent and hardworking HH out of this labour unrest issue. On August 11th vote for HH & UPND.Forward with Zambia.
Kudos can’t think him self out of a paper bag. Must get payed by PF to read what they give him to blog.
HH IS GREAT THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS HIS,NAYOPA THE MAN SHOULD BE VOTED AS PRESIDENT
Yes he may have but has no impact on our brothers & and sisters that work under him. If he was pro poor he could influence shoprite to a certain degree but no, not hh.
Kikikiki did they start receiving these slave wages during election time. Chanda these people have always been paid peanuts. They know it’s election time and people will pay attention now. PF cadres can make you cry laughing.
Look at the people that dinnes with your president, a share holder encouraging wokers to strike a move that will affect future dividends that will benefit him. Do share holders have an influence on the day to day running of a company? Those are Lungu,s economical advisors. Zambia twasebana please!
Sunday CHANDA is a fool.HH is great leader
And the most stupid person award of the year goes to?
Sunday Chanda! Edgar Lungu,s friend
this must be a joke ,if somebody really thinks the money she is receiving is all profit you should go back to school maybe.
60000 turnover is not exactly the same as 60000 profit , maybe you do want to pay your suppliers before they go bankrupt? pay zesco for example? pay the counsel pay the rent (huge) pay your agreed salary .incalculate theft ( yes a lot) count whats left ,pay tax ,there is probably little left,
oh and by the way ,nobody forced you to sign your contract, it was your own decision.