Workers at sharp end of the boom - CCS, Sino Metals, KCM accused

As the copper boom continues, mining companies have been wheeling out new corporate social responsibility programmes to try and demonstrate their commitment to Zambia. At least some of these efforts are very welcome. Still, the core issues that have so alienated Zambian workers and communities from the mining companies have been about safety in the mines, and labour rights. And progress in these areas is much less clear. There has been another tragic accident at Konkola Copper Mines in the last week, and further evidence of straight-forwardly illegal union busting in Chinese-owned mining firms.

The Post reports that National Union of Mine and Allied Workers (NUMAW) president Mundia Sikufele has said that there is need to revisit safety policies at workplaces. Commenting on the mine accident that occurred at KCM's Nkana smelter in Kitwe on Thursday morning, Sikufela said, "We need to revisit our safety policies, if we do not we might be living in the past." Sikufele said NUMAW was investigating the cause of the accident at the mine and had earlier on Friday visited the accident scene. Sikufele who had also visited the injured workers at Wusakile Mine Hospital on Friday said the condition of other four workers was improving while one of the workers was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) general secretary Osward Munyenyembe also expressed concern over the accident. He said his union had instituted investigations into the matter and that after investigations were concluded it would issue a comprehensive statement.

Meanwhile Munyenyembe disclosed that the union intended to take to court some mining firms that had failed to sign the recognition agreements. "Workers have applied to join the union but their management cannot accept to sign the recognition agreement with us," he said. He said among the companies that had refused to sign the recognition agreement was Chambeshi Copper Smelter. "We have 90 workers at Chambeshi Copper Smelter and 100 at Sino metals who have applied to join us but management has refused to accept," he said. Munyenyembe said by Friday, the union and management were still discussing the matter. Munyenyembe said it was unfortunate that workers were denied a chance to belong to the union of their choice when their conditions of service were generally pathetic.