The Ministry of Labour and social security has issued a one-month ultimatum to contractors operating at First Quantum Minerals FQM Trident Limited, Barrick Lumwana and Kansanshi mines to comply with statutory obligations or risk being penalized.
Labour Commissioner Givens Muntengwa says the Ministry has observed with concern that contractors are not complying with industrial relations laws.
Mr. Muntengwa says contractors are not remitting contributions to the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA), Workers Compensation Fund Control Board and the National Health Insurance among others.
ZANIS reports that the Labour Commissioner was speaking in separate meetings with management from the three mines while Minister of Labour Brenda Tambatamba was also present.
Mr Muntengwa observed that employees are not also allowed to belong to a trade union of their choice as provided for under the Industrial Relations Act, a situation that hinders free collective bargaining.
“We are giving you up to the Month-end of next month or before to sort out all the issues we have raised or we move in and that will impact on your production,” he said.
Mr Muntengwa also explained that contractors are sadly engaging people on a casual basis despite being given long term contracts by the mining firm while some companies are also employing unqualified human resource officers who end up victimizing workers.
“Why should our people be given a month contract when you are giving them long term contracts, it is not as if you are closing the mine today or tomorrow, so we want long term contracts,” he stressed
And Management from the three mines pledged to engage the contractors to ensure compliance as part of the contractual agreements.
FQM Trident limited General Manager, Junior Keyser acknowledged that they have also observed some shortcomings in compliance among contractors such as non-registration with the Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) and the National Council for Construction (NCC).
Meanwhile, Labour Minister Brenda Tambatamba said government will always work towards protecting human capital as it is critical to actualising the government’s economic transformation agenda.
The Patriotic Front tried to correct the trend, 13 years ago, but lost focus because they wanted to disadvantage an opposition leader who was suspected to have links with Regna Saturnia. The decree was to move all miners and others to NAPSA to empower Zambia.
Macro Oceans will be funded by NAPSA making some of you investees in your road sector aside from the basic pension benefits.