More than 250 workers at AVIC Construction Company constructing the Edgar Chagwa Lungu Mall staged a peaceful protest Tuesday morning demanding better working conditions.
The workers who matched from the construction site to the District Commissioner’s office lamented over poor working conditions and sanitation facilities at the site.
The workers accused AVIC management of not adhering to the labour laws such as poor sanitation, unfair dismissal and use of abusive language.
The workers told ZANIS that they would not report back for work if their demands were not met by the end of the day.
Kitwe District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu, addressing workers at his district office, advised them to always follow procedure before conducting any protest because they risked being arrested by the police.
Mr Mpundu said his office was not happy with the disorderly manner in which the workers conducted themselves as they were matching to his office.
Mr Mpundu assured the workers that his office and the Ministry of Labour would engage management of AVIC International to look into the matter.
He further warned that government would not hesitate to punish employers who had a habit of abrogating labour laws at the expense of the Zambian worker.
Mr Mpundu has since given management up to Friday this week to consult and get back to his office.
 And the DC warned management at the construction site saying government would not tolerate crooks to do business in the district.
Speaking earlier Avic International Business Manager Woods Wang acknowledged the challenges and assured the DC that his firm would strive to adhere to the labour laws
The sad thing about it is this is the recommended PF contractor benefiting from those Chinese loans we will have to payback
Is it indeed names Edgar Lungu?
That will be slow mall.
AVIC is untouchable just like Gouonasse (owner of grizzly Mining). You are wasting your time protesting against people who have links to state house.
The loan term success of any business and appearance depends largely on how they manage their brand in view of the ESGs
There is no company that will have it easy if it does not manage its stakeholders no matter how financially or capital powerful it can be it has to have a balance score card in terms of ESGs
Avic is one of at least good Chinese companies it should be seen to reinvest in Zambia and ESGs in particular Like the Kenya Story
I like the intelligent words by Chinese ambassador if only applied practically
“The workers told ZANIS that they would not report back for work if their demands were not met by the end of the day.”
Who cares!
Just get back and work which labour laws do you know? These are bachibombebombe and can easily be replaced with no trace of inconvenience to the contractor. There thousands out there who need jobs and can work with all the energy.
Disaster
Nostradamus you say itvwill be slow mall, its edgar chagwa lungu mall…… it will FLY
What an id!otic name for a mall.
Don’t worry, we shall rename the mall after Lungu is gone; Didn’t Sata rename airports?
when has the district commissioner became a labour officer.He calls avic crooks. what is his criteria for a crook? bwane , quality leadership is what we want….
AVIC is the name of the company whose end in Zambia will be like that of the PF leadership, they will all lead one another into a dungeon commonly known as PRISON. Mark my words today the 30th November 2017.