KANSANSHI Mining PLC is demanding for US$20 million from two Solwezi residents and others who allegedly incited mine employees to go on an illegal strike which resulted in loss of business.
The $20 million was for damages and loss of business resulting from the four-day alleged premature and illegal strike action early this year.
The mining company has dragged Benson Ngambo, Yobe Banda and others to court demanding for compensation for loss of business which the company endured when the duo allegedly induced and influenced employees to undertake an illegal strike action.
According to a statement of claim filed before the Lusaka High Court, Kansanshi Mining stated that Ngambo, Banda and others allegedly induced, persuaded and procured its employees to breach the contracts of employment by influencing a strike action which resulted in the loss of business.
The company stated that Ngambo, who claimed to have been a representative of Government and Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), together with Banda and others on March 1, 2012 induced Kansanshi mining employees to go on a strike action contrary to the provisions of the Industrial and Labour Relations Act chapter 269 of the Laws of Zambia.
It stated that on the material day, Ngambo addressed the employees and made a call for them to participate in a strike action and picketing around the company premises.
The company said the move taken by Ngambo, Banda and others was a breach of its employees’ employment contracts as the strike was unlawful and illegal.
It said the duo and others influenced the employees to physically ban the way of persons and motor vehicles trying to enter and leave the mining area while they intimidated and harassed drivers.
Kansanshi Mining claimed that the striking employees barred heavy duty vehicles loaded with various merchandise from delivering in and out of the mining area, a move that caused loss of business not only to it but third parties as well.
It stated that because of the same, Kansanshi Mining lost approximately $5 million per day in revenue.
The company, which had initially jointly sued 14 of its former employees and later filed a notice of discontinuation against them, had also sought an injunction restraining further striking, which was granted.
The matter is being handled by High Court Judge Dominic Sichinga who has set September 20, 2012 as the date for commencement of trial.
[Times of Zambia]
After you pay our pipo small salary and yet you demand a lot of monies of lose of business anyway how can pay of that monies not even our government shame you investors?
How can they sue individuals that amount when they’re paying peanuts to grz coffers? these mining companies need to be taxed higher rates because they are making too much money. GRZ should tell Kansanshi to pay higher tax. Where the company comes from, they don’t charge Unions or individuals. the courts should dismiss their application with costs.
These two gentlemen must be disciplined. I just hope the company have a water tight case against the two. Don’t the mine workers at Kansanshi Mine belong to or have a Workers Union? I’m sure ZCTU would have known the procedures of working through that Union if it exists.
SUE THEM…PEOPLE IN ZAMBIA STRIKE FOR UNFOUNDED REASONS….this will be a wake up call to would be offenders….
How much have you stolen from the Zambians. What you are claiming is only 0.001% of what you have stolen. Judge Close the case please.
Many Zambians are lazy-they want more money and yet they spent more than half of their time at work gossiping. It is only whn you go out of Zed when you realise how much people get money at silver plate pa Zed-how do you employee a batch of cleaners to work from 8am to 5pm when they are able to finish their duties within one hour. Can some1 also tell me why a Primary Sch. teacher taking one lower class 3-4 hrs a day should be paid a full salary?
Govt should introduce a system of paying people pay hour, a system widely used in most Western Nations. This will make people become more productv and make employers only pay for productive time spent at work by an employee.
There is too much culture of laziness and that is one of the reasons the Nation has lagged behind in terms of devpt.
Many Zambians are lazy-they want more money and yet they spend more than half of their time at work gossiping. It is only whn you go out of Zed when you realise how much people get money at silver plate pa Zed-how do you employee a batch of cleaners to work from 8am to 5pm when they are able to finish their duties within one hour. Can some1 also tell me why a Primary Sch. teacher taking one lower class 3-4 hrs a day should be paid a full salary?
Govt should introduce a system of paying people pay hour, a system widely used in most Western Nations. This will make people become more productv and make employers only pay for productive time spent at work by an employee.
There is too much culture of laziness and that is one of the reasons the Nation has lagged behind in terms of devpt.
What makes you different
It is a Rubish thing, what proof do they have that those chaps instigated the strike…
@7 Mbala Mafia, I hear your concerns. But you should remember that most primary schools in Zambia do not have enough space (classrooms) hence two classes are forced to take turns in using a classroom. I do not think that teachers some teachers work for 3-4 hrs ( I stand to be corrected). They may be teaching for those three to four hours but the other three to four hours are spent on marking, preparations, and other relevant duties. As for cleaners, I believe the problem is supervision. If they are full-time cleaners they are supposed to work the full recommended hours doing the work – cleaning. For instance if one is employed as a cleaner in a shopping mall there is no way he can clean for only an hour. A shopping mall or an airport is a ver busy place which needs constant cleaning.
SO THEY MAKE $5 MILLION PER DAY AND PER PEANUTS TO THE WORKERS AND GOVERNMENT .ITS HIGH TIME WINDFALL TAX WAS INTRODUCED.NOT EVEN THE AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS CAN GET THAT $ 20 MILLION DOLLARS AS RETIREMENT PACKAGE. HOW I WISH KAMBWILI CHISHIMBA WAS AT LABOUR.8-|:x:x:((:”>:(:);)[-(:)>-
SO THEY MAKE $5 MILLION PER DAY AND PAY PEANUTS TO THE WORKERS AND GOVERNMENT TAXES .ITS HIGH TIME WINDFALL TAX WAS INTRODUCED.NOT EVEN THE AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS CAN GET THAT $ 20 MILLION DOLLARS AS RETIREMENT PACKAGE. HOW I WISH KAMBWILI CHISHIMBA WAS AT LABOUR.8-|:x:x:((blushing:(:);)[-(:)>-
Reply
#6&7 In noble professionz like teaching, you don’t have to break chalk fo 8 hours to drive a point about your work, else you start cheating/boring pupilz. Ever wondored why you pay 100 pin consultation fee for seeing a doctor for under just five minutes at a private clinik?
Thieves are now asking for compensation. What on earth have we done. All over the world employees strike especially if they are being treated unfair. Now in Zambia employers have started to threaten employees for exercising their rights. Anyway, some of us are in support of they two employees. Viva Ngambo viva Banda
Is anyone seeing what I am seeing? Hello…….
i only some govt official,refusing the windfall taxes implementation hears about this case,
mining companies are making money, $ 5 million per day, i hope the sued will ask the court for these companies to bring evidence to prove that they make such money and ZRA should also acknowledge that there is such earnings per day.
what a good admission.