MUZ urges state to act against Mopani
GOVERNMENT must take decisive action against Mopani Copper Mines for failing to rescind its decision to terminate contracts for local contractors and suppliers, Mineworkers Unions of Zambia (MUZ) president Joseph Chewe has demanded.
Mr Chewe said government should not tolerate the behaviour of mining firm because the situation was getting out of hand.
It’s important, he said, for government take stiff action against Mopani in order to stop the mining firm from frustrating Zambians.
Mr Chewe said mining firms had no right to ignore government directives that were in the best interest of the Zambians. Mopani management has allegedly refused to adhere to the government’s directive to rescind its decision to terminate contracts for the local contractors and suppliers.
Recently, Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development Permanent Secretary, Paul Chanda, directed Mopani management to rescind its decision as government did not recognise it. But Mopani reportedly management had not adhered to the directive as no contractor or supplier had been re-instated. MUZ chief said it was important that government intervened in the matter because terminating contracts for all local contractors and suppliers meant that many Zambians
had lost jobs and were thrown into destitution.
Mr Chewe said mining firms should not be allowed to fire Zambians any how in the name of not making profits.
He said the excuse by the Mopani management that job losses had been caused by the closure of the North and Central shafts were not reasonable as it had invested in other shafts which were operational.
“Mopani has invested in new shafts which are even operational, when we had a meeting with them recently they said they will introduce a 12 hours shifts and no one will loss jobs, but how come today they are terminating contracts, this should not be tolerated,” he said.
And we appeal to the Ministry of Mines to send geologists to go and survey the two shafts which Mopani claims to have been closed because they have no economic value. We need to know the truth about this matter,” he said.
And Mr Chewe said all mining unions would hold an urgent meeting with Mopani to ensure that the matter was addressed because they would not sit idle seeing many people losing jobs.