Protesting Chambishi miners held

FOUR miners at NFC Africa Mining Company were on Tuesday night detained at Chambishi Police Station for allegedly trying to incite other miners to continue with the strike action despite reporting for work in the night shift.

And some miners doing day-shift yesterday reported for work after staging a one-day work stoppage which forced management to remind them to resume work, failure to which they would face summary dismissal.

Mine workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) General Secretary George Mumba confirmed both the detention of the four miners and the resuming of work by those who reported for the day shift.

On the detentions, Mr Mumba said the four who were detained were among the more than 50 miners who reported for work in the night, but refused to get inside the plant to start work in their respective departments.

"These four were identified to be the ring leaders inciting others not to go and work in their respective departments. They were outside and the police asked them if they had come for work or not.

"They were told to either enter the plant if they had come for work or they go back to their respective homes, but the four continued to incite the others and so they were detained,'' Mr Mumba said.

Efforts to get a comment on the detention of the four workers, from Copperbelt Police Deputy Commissioner Chrispin Chaambwa failed as his phone went unanswered.

Mr Mumba also confirmed that those doing day-shift had reported for work yesterday, but regretted that the miners decided to go on a work stoppage without following procedure.

He said, if the workers had issues with management they should engage the union which would in turn engage management on their behalf.

"The unions MUZ or NUMAW are the only organisations which can represent the interests of the workers, not any other individual.

Meanwhile, management who could not allow the journalists to get a comment from them spoke through the security guard that they had no comment.