LOCAL CONTRACTORS SLAM FOREIGN MINING INVESTORS
REASONS advanced by most foreign mining companies that they cannot give busi ness or contracts to local companies because they provide poor quality works and goods are mere excus es to deny them big jobs in the mining industry, says the Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors (AMSC).
AMSC interim President Coster Mwaba said most foreign mining companies were deliberately denying Zambian companies jobs so that they give jobs to their foreign business partners.
In an interview in Kitwe at the weekend, Mr Mwaba said this behaviour was de priving Zambian companies of business and money was being taken out of the coun try which if retained could be used for various purposes locally.
Mr Mwaba said it was for this reason that the association was seeking a meeting with the government to put in place a law of local content which will compel foreign mining companies to give jobs to Zambians.
“The way it is now, when you are given a job by any mining company, you are even shivering because you cannot believe it. They can either give you or not. This is why we are advocating for a law which will talk about the local content.
“This law will compel for eign mining companies to give jobs to Zambians. It will make it illegal for a for eign mining company not to give jobs to a local Zambian company. This talk of saying local companies supply poor quality goods is not true be cause both local and foreign suppliers buy from Chinese,’’ Mr Mwaba said.
Two weeks ago, the Mine Suppliers and Contractors Association (MSCA) of Bwalya Mufonka and the AMSC of Augustine Mubanga signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the two associations to merge at Lunte Lodge where Mr Mubanga bade farewell as AMSC leaving the interim Presidency of the association to Mr Mwaba.
At the same event, Mr Mubanga said the hiking of fuel prices and electricity tariffs will render local mine contractors, suppliers and manufacturers irrelevant be cause their cost of produc tion and transportation will go up and so they will be come less competitive to the foreign contractors and sup pliers in the mining sector,’’ mine suppliers and contrac tors have said.
And on the decision by the two associations to merge, Mr Mubanga said it was nec essary to help the members provide one voice in the in dustry with effective representation.
He said the contractors and suppliers countrywide were doing business with the mining sector and therefore required one strong voice to ensure they were not margin alised but given equal share of business.
He emphasised on the need for the members to be non-partisan as engaging in partisan politics would affect the business environment and value of association.