Read this article in:
21 April, 2008
At the supreme council meeting of the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) on 14 April, the union denounced mine operators who are breaking provisions of the union’s collective agreements in the southern African nation.
MUZ President Rayford Mbulu condemned, in the strongest terms possible, employers who disregard terms and conditions of labour agreements. He also lashed out at certain mining houses which do not comply with safety standards, causing high rates of mine accidents in Zambia.
MUZ President Rayford Mbulu
He was speaking at the opening day of the council meetings in Kitwe, the heart of Zambia’s resource-rich Copperbelt Region. Mbulu specifically cited Canada-based First Quantum Minerals Ltd. for declaring a labour dispute with the MUZ at its Kansanshi copper and gold operations. The company recently declared a dispute without following provisions under the country’s Industrial and Labour Relations Act.
Another troublesome fact for Zambia’s leading mining union is an increase in sub-contractors utilised in mines. Such operators pay workers just a fraction of the wages that MUZ members receive. Sub-contractors justify the weak pay by citing the low fees they receive from mine owners.
The MUZ is strongly behind recent proposals by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that contract workers must be paid at least 80% of the salaries of permanent employees. Mbulu also said a troubling area for the union is the growing use of low-skilled foreign workers in mines. He said the ministry must be more vigilant in the review of work permits of foreigners, and priority must be placed on employing qualified Zambians in the mining sector.
MUZ gains have occurred with several mining operators working the regions of the Copperbelt, North-western, Southern, and Central Regions. The union has signed a recognition agreement with Australian-based Albidon Zambia Ltd., which is mining nickel around Mazabuka, Southern Region, and with Grinaker-LTA Construction, a subsidiary of South Africa-based Aveng Ltd., a building contractor and civil engineering firm that operates in the Copperbelt.
MUZ is supportive of the government’s increase on mineral royalties from 0.3% to 6%. The union also expects to increase its profile for recruitment and partnering under an investment vehicle it created in 2007. The Mineworkers Investment Co. was established as a means to negotiate better working conditions and salaries for its members.