The Post reports that negotiations between management and workers represented by the Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and National Union of Mines and Allied Workers (NUMAW) at Kansanshi mine have collapsed. Paramilitary police officers have been deployed as the mine-owners fear a looming strike and a possible repeat of violent scenes from Chambishi recently.
Management have refused to meet workers' demands, which The Post claims include for a salary increment of 30 per cent, tax relief on housing allowance and an education allowance to be increased from K100, 000 to K1,000,000.Again tensions over the disparity in terms and conditions for local and expatriate staff is at the heart of much of the bitterness.
“They have built a school within the Golf Estate and the school fees per term are K6 million. The question is, can we take our children to this school when they are giving us an education allowance of K100,000? If you look at the wage of foreigners who are doing the same job with us, they are getting a lot of money. And if you look at our gratuity after working for two years, it is less than K3 million. We are not being stubborn for demanding for a decent wage because we know that they are able to pay,” a source told The Post.
North Western Province Permanent Secretary Jeston Mulando has appealed to both management and the unions to get back to the negotiating table and conclude the negotiations. Mulando said the unions’ decision to reduce their 50 per cent salary increment demands to 30 per cent was a positive move which management should appreciate. Kansanshi Mine public relations manager Philip Msiska said no dispute had been declared between the unions and management but promised to issue a press statement if appropriate. Management also insisted that they could only give the workers a 15 per cent salary increment across the board because of the new tax measures introduced by the government.
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