Thursday, March 28, 2024

Workers at Indeni left fuming after Energy Minister fails to give specific details of their retrenchment

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Workers at Indeni Petroleum Refinery Plant in Ndola were on Tuesday left fuming after Energy Minister Peter Kapala failed to state a specific period in which the firm will be restructured after the Government placed it on care and maintenance late last year.

All workers at Indeni who include 327 permanent ones will be declared redundant and asked to reapply when the petroleum firm is restructured by the Government with the aim of making it more viable.

Mr. Kapala, who was accompanied by Finance Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Information Minister Chushi Kasanda and Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo, on Tuesday, addressed Indeni workers at the plant to officially inform them over the planned restructuring.

During the question and answer session of the meeting, Indeni workers continuously interjected Mr. Kapala when he said it is not possible to predict how long the transition of Indeni will last.

“We want to know what is going to happen to us during the transition period because we know that Indeni has no money at the moment. We also want to know when the transformation process will end. We are anxious as Indeni workers,” one employee said.

“They have come all the way from Lusaka with this huge delegation to come and tell us nothing. We are actually more confused than before because the ministers have not said anything new regarding Indeni. The other issue is that when they declare the 327 permanent workers redundant, how many from the 327 will be retained under the new structure,” a worker was heard passing comments after the meeting.

In his remarks, Mr. Kapala confirmed that at Indeni workers who include 327 permanent ones will be declared redundant and asked to reapply when the firm is restructured.

He said under the proposed new structure Indeni will stop petroleum refinery business and start operating like an oil marketing company.

Mr. Kapala said the Government has come up with a plan of making Indeni Petroleum Refinery in Ndola more viable after placing it on care and maintenance.

The Energy Minister said the transformation of Indeni will start with the appointment of a new board in the next two weeks.

“Our mission is to come and formally propose what the Government wants to do with Indeni as a way forward. Also come to learn from Indeni if they can get some tangible proposals to make Indeni viable once again. The Government’s position is that Indeni will take a difference mode from what it is,” Mr. Kapala said.

“I have been accompanied by the Minister of Finance because there is this issue of redundancy money; whether people will be paid off immediately or whether people will stay on and things like that. Because it will be a new mode so people will be.. I don’t want to use the word declared redundant, there will be a transition from where they are to what we are going to do and this should happen quite soon so people should not be very concerned that the Government is not taking their interest. We are very much concerned that’s why we came and I hope today’s visit will iron out all the doubts that are hanging over Indeni,” he said.

Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane says the Government will pay all the 327 workers at Indeni Petroleum Refinery in Ndola when they are declared redundant.

Dr. Musokotwane said money is available to give Indeni workers during the transition period as the Government transforms the refinery into a more viable entity.

The Finance Minister assured Indeni workers that no one will be sent home without pay.

“We will settle all the financial obligations to you before we change to the new institute so you will be paid. No one is going to be pushed on the street without any payment that does not arise. The rest are technical issues which the Ministry of Energy and the management will work out. I have come to give you an assurance with my own mouth that you will be paid,” Dr Musokotwane said.

Mr. Matambo said he is hopeful that the visit by the three ministers will resolve the uncertainty surrounding Indeni Petroleum Refinery which has not been operational since August, 2021.

“If we see Honourable Ministers coming to the Copperbelt we know that issues which are hanging will be sorted out,” Mr. Matambo said.

28 COMMENTS

  1. The meeting went extremely well at indeni, If one or two workers were apprehensive which is normal in such circumstances, it does not mean indeni workers were not happy the meeting. New government sorting out issues where the previous government were just sleeping with indeni very inactive

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  2. Indeni is obsolete and must be closed immediately. With all cars being replaced by electric or hydrogen models, who needs petrol or diesel? And ALL fuel now comes to the country by tanker, at reduced cost, so what is the point of having an out of date refinery?

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  3. Yaba! Workers make no mistake, you can’t trust a cimbwi with no plan. A pompwe politician. If he had no answers for you, it means theris no plan for you. Warn your Union to be on your side otherwise you will be duped again and lose big. The fixer is fixing you. Sorry.

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  4. The thing was just gathering dust with only one feed stock the whole of 2021, here are serious people who have come in government to sort out issues who truly need support

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  5. If I am in that crowd and barely six months into my job I know palibe canna apa. Redundancy is emotionless and cruel.

  6. I sympathise with the workers. They thought that they were voting in a new govt to fix their problems, kanshi they were fixing themselves.

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  7. No serious supply of feed stock for almost two years and PF was just looking at Indeni with no plan. The thing was just gathering dust

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  8. Energy is Transitioning in methods and Technologies but Indeni and the current OMCs must work to assure Energy Security You still need the critical Infrastructure in Indeni to Play a critical role in assuring reserve management stability in prices and supplying unlike those onshore as opposed to offshore with pipelines and sea reserves you cannot play oil price Dynamics for long-term whatever new technologies energy security and reserve management is key not only for price but also the economy

  9. Sorry workers, Musokotwane and others are using the vote you gave them to become billioniers. You had time to vote for them, they do not have time for you.

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  10. A person who comes on a platform of lies cannot be a good leader. Whatever, he is doing, are all lies. Indeni workers celebrated when a liar got into office. They should not cry foul this time around. Let them continue trusting lies on which they based their votes.

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    • Look at what ignorance of the worst order can do. That is why Dr Kaunda used to say ignorance was a disease. This guy wanted the plant to continue that way, Plant not doing anything and workers just getting paid, it is such thinking that made people reject the PF

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  11. It is good that workers at indeni have expressed happiness that there is direction now and that they will be paid their dues. The plant was not operating for almost two years and workers were just in suspense, Thank you new dawn. We vote in leaders to come and handle such challenges, and you have scored on this one yet again

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  12. It’s tough going! Bally has lost it all by remaining silent on change of promises before and after the elections. You can’t ride on lies to State House and expect people to believe you at a very critical moment. People are no longer naïve!!

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  13. The plant was literally shut for close to two years , the new government has said it is a cost to run this unreliable refinery and we have to change the business model and take a cheaper route for the country, workers will be paid terminal benefits but will be retained on contract and the plant will be an oil marketing company making ethanol. This is wisdom.

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  14. Thank you UPND, that is leadership, coming in and sorting out outstanding issues, not even sure what the previous government was doing

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  15. Its funny that some are criticising as if Indeni stopped its operations after mid August….PF didnt tell you did they? At least now these people are aware of what is going to happen. Imagine all those EUROBONDS 10 years ago if they used half a billion to build a modern refinery how much money would have been saved today.

  16. Govt is on right track. I think what Indeni workers are concerned about is time of concluding the redundancy & restructuring. Remember the news of INDENI being on care and maintenance is everywhere & no one will give these employees loans. Meaning the workers projects such us building will stall until they are paid their benefits. So Emlployees wants direction and the process to be expedited so that they continue with their personal programs. Remember in this period there opportunities which will arise & missed becoz someone is waiting for benefits.

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  17. Now I know why his adversaries said he cannot be president , what we are witnessing is total criminality in this government all they are doing is bring more pain in the families of Zambians where are we going to end up.
    We told HH and Musokotwane that IMF will come and destroy the remaining Zambian industry if you go and get a loan from them, they are thick heads who cannot think beyond their noses now see what is happening total rubbish you cannot treat your own people with this hatred as if you don’t know how bad and painful it is to receive a redundancy letter .

  18. It is painful to see how our own people are being condemned to more poverty and suffering like this government is doing .
    Did Zambians really vote for this misery we are seeing no one seems to know what will happen tomorrow, uncertainty is lingering on everyone working in government run institutions is this the hope Zambians wanted, let KBF and his alliance come out in the open and show us the Zambia we wanted.

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  19. Funny how some ignorant chaps think indeni was a performing industry. You were rejected by Zambians purely because of such thinking. Continue on that destructive path and that is a sure way of the extinct PF going for good

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  20. PF was a complete disaster, how do you leave a plant like indeni for two years without activity just to gain rust

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