Chairman of the London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc, the majority shareholder of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), Anil Agarwal, has told employees to feel secure and understand that the company cares for them as it rolls its “Path to Growth” to boost copper production.
Mr Agarwal said at a Town Hall meeting in Chingola, which was beamed live via video link to all Vedanta operations, that the global diversified minerals and resources giant would explore ways to introduce a stock option plan to empower employees once KCM hits the right production levels.
Mr Agarwal said: “Employees should feel secure and know that the company cares for them. I have said that our people should not spend their salaries on buying a house. I am looking at a stock option if we do things right, make our production good, keep our environment good and our governance good. Our community social investment will be better than others.”
“We have the passion and with the right expertise and determination, we can achieve our production targets” Mr Agarwal said in reference to KCM’s plans to lift production to 400,000 metric tonnes per annum in the next few years.
The Chairman told employees that he had assured the Government about Vedanta’s commitment to continue mining in Zambia for the next 50 years, and reiterated the assurance to the employees too.
The Chairman said KCM had potential to be ‘the best company in terms of copper production in Zambia,’ adding that, “KCM is a large asset with a lot of potential. I have spoken with Management to come up with projects where each employee can participate fully and contribute positively to the company’s record of achievement.”
Mr Agarwal said Vedanta was continually looking for opportunities to contribute positively to growth and transformation of the Copperbelt. He said that the company would continue to develop young talent and invest in communities through KCM’s expansive corporate social responsibility programmes anchored on education, health, poverty alleviation programmes and sport.
During his two-day visit, the Chairman had talks with President Lungu, President Kovind, and the President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi, who was also visiting Zambia. He also met with the Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Honourable Richard Musukwa and the Copperbelt Minister Honourable Japhen Mwakalombe. He also met several government officials, including the Mayor of Chingola Titus Tembo and District Commissioner Mary Chibesa, where he reaffirmed Vedanta Resources Group’s commitment to Zambia.
Last time anyone assured me of job security I knew it was no longer secure. Beware.
Jobs under slave conditions, from where did Mwanawasa get this man?
This man still exists in Zambia after embarrassing us and boasting that he bought KCM for only $25milion yet the asking price was $400million and that very year he made profits in just 3months worth $500million plus an extra $1billion in a single year but kept claiming to be making losses due to high operational costs and whatever nonsense of buying machinery which was already there.. .these investors take us for granted because we lack political will the system is very porous…as long as political leaders are benefiting they don’t look at the majority citizens..we need to benefit from our mines..
@Ayatollah I also wonder
These so called investors have big promises when they actually fail to do smaller things. I have a child at nchanga trust school n can you believe that this school has no school hall? The children have assembly in an old garage and us parents when invited for pta meetings we have them in the same garage. The school looks like an old prison and yet its owned by the so called biggest copper producer. When u visit department s u notice a lot of things lacking in the school. There is no library, no proper car park, classrooms have pot holes, very few computers n so on and so on. So how can we trust the promises from this investor when they cannot upgrade this trust school? Let’s be serious pipo and I challenge KCM management to uplift the trust schools before we tell the whole country thru…
This is the guy who was boasting that he got that mine in zambia for a song. God help us!
The problem is that your words are opposite to what is obtained on the ground. The only people who benefits are those in offices more especially your relative. Most Zambians they get little or better say nothing.