Workers protest slave wages

GENERAL workers at Sino Mining, a company engaged to build a veterinary regional laboratory in Isoka on Wednesday complained of the office of the district commissioner to complain about poor working conditions. A Representative Mwansa Chola told District Commissioner Evenwell Mutambo the workers had been getting poor wages despite working long shifts. Mr Chola said the highest paid worker got K800 while majority others were getting as low as K500 after working for about 26 days. “The conditions of service here are very bad. We work from as early as 07:00 hours and knock off at 20:00 hours in some instances only to be paid peanuts. Some of our colleagues get as little as K500 while others with skills get K800 contrary to the government approved minimum wage,’’ Mr Chola said. He said on pay day their Chinese supervisors had been making them sign for amounts higher than what they were getting. Mr Chola said they had been working without contracts and could be dismissed any time without any reason. “None of us here has contracts and our Chinese bosses can fire anyone at any time without any reason, especially those that are seen to be critical about the poor working conditions,” Mr Chola said. He appealed to the office of the district commissioner to intervene and ensure that the challenges facing the workers were addressed. Mr Mutambo instructed the Chinese contractor to revise the workers’ wages and ensure that the company complied with the country’s labour laws. He said his office would not entertain contractors paying workers poor wages. Mr Mutambo warned that his office would visit work sites to check on employers’ compliance with the minimum wage and that those paying less than the K1,050 would have to pay workers the balance in arrears. He said his office had advised the Chinese contractor to engage a Zambian human resource officer who would help them understand the country’s labour laws.

None of us here has contracts and our Chinese bosses can fire anyone at any time without any reason, especially those that are seen to be critical about the poor working conditions,” — Mwansa Chola.