Zambia President Levy Mwanawasa held talks on Wednesday with mining union leaders and agreed steps to prevent strikes in the industry after industrial action he said might discourage new investment, officials said.
The country’s mines minister separately announced that the government had drafted a policy that would enable Zambians to buy shares in the vast copper and cobalt mines, the southern African country’s economic lifeblood.
Mwanawasa met Mine Workers Union of Zambia (Muz) leaders at the presidency in a bid to defuse tensions in the copper mines where workers have been demanding higher wages, which some managers of foreign-owned mines have described as “outrageous”.
The demands come as copper mines are making huge profits thanks to a boom in global metals prices.
“We held cordial discussions with the president and presented our views on the recent strikes because sometimes we (unions) are accused of inciting workers to strike. We want to prevent future strikes through dialogue,” Oswell Munyenyembe, secretary of the Muz, told Reuters.
“These (preventive) measures involve all the mines in Zambia,” he said, but declined to give further details.
Munyenyembe said the unions also raised labour problems in mining although Mwanawasa had called the meeting to discuss the recent strike at Kansanshi copper mine, a unit of First Quantum Minerals , where a four-day strike paralysed operations in July.
Mwanawasa’s spokesman, John Musukuma, said Mwanawasa would direct the ministries of mines and labour to look into the labour issues.
“The ministries of mines and minerals development and labour and social security (will) take steps in order to facilitate a process of dialogue between the employees and management in order to avoid a recurrence (of strikes),” Musukuma said in a statement.
Mines minister Kalombo Mwansa told journalists from state media that the government would soon approve a new law to allow Zambians to purchase shares from the copper mines.
Some foreign owned mines such as Mopani Copper Mines (MCM), a unit of First Quantum and Glencore International AG of Switzerland have already indicated they want to list shares on the Lusaka Stock Exchange.
Good gesture Levy and tell the investors to improve working conditions
Ya that’s the problem with deals investors brought in with bribes. Now you have to make sure they are not ripped off by the strike lest they spill the beans about your dirty dealing. When did they head of state become a negotiator in labour disputes?? I really don’t trust these boys from Ndola
Chilu,the mines are the heartbeat of the current economic recovery efforts.You seriously expect the head of state to stay mute?? when the president keeps quiet it is a problem…..when he steps in it.. is a problem !!I’m sure our fellow contributors will highlight in depth the cost of a strike to this economy.To be honest, we don’t need this right now and i applaud any effort by any interested party to avert any reversal of the economic progress being made.The labour movement must not pass up this chance to negociate decent packages and conditions of service but strike action will do more harm than good.The labour movement is in a position of strength,i hope they won’t blow it by making unreasonable demands just to gain popularity causing wildcat strikes and thus avoiding having to pay their members whilst on a legal & balloted strike.During an illegal strike they are absolved of this obligation hence they rush for it whenever possible.Labour politics is a funny game too!!
#3pundit am sure you are one of those together with LPM who got the bribes from these investors and you really have to cover your backs now by forcing our hardworking Zambians to just accept peanuts while these big mines rack in profits. It’s a disgrace really. It was ok under ZCCM to get peanuts because they gave us free housing, schools & mealie meal. Now we are in a free market economy, and strikes is part of the risk investors have to manage not LPM. We voted him to manage Zambia.
I will give you an example close to home South Africa had strikes last month and didn’t hear about the president negotiating settlements. Today all Gold Mines in SA are under the threat of Strikes because of poor wages and Mbeki is not involved even if Gold is the heartbeat of South Africa.
I still maintain LPM shouldn’t have been there. The least he could do is send his Ministers to do it and not him. Maybe we don’t need the ministers after all, if he is all over the place. Should save us more money!
#3 (The Original Pundit), it’s not the effort by Levy that is worrying but the procedure. Protocol dictates that the President doesn’t deal directly with unions or employees, let alone those of private entities. He has the Labour Minister, the Permanent Secretary etc. Surely, these are better placed than the president to deal with some of these issues. Quite simply, it is demeaning for a president to reduce himself to being a spokesperson for private entities.
Easy,
I cannot doubt your passion to stay on the blog around the clock. But must say I have noticed your skin is very thin if not the fuse when it comes to taking the heat from those holding opposing views. Why do you easily jump up with your trumpet of accusations on opponent whenever your name is aligned with some hilarious article? Don’t you learn from Pragmatist who maintains his silent in the face of what he believes are cheap accusations? Some of us with two active eyes daily seeing through the blog can attest that some posts have not been from the accused yet the accused have just rubbed off stupid accusations off without comments. Mature up and learn from your peers specially Pragmatist. Your behavior of accusing fellow bloggers makes you weak what in Bemba we call “kanyaâ€. The more you do that, the more you will be turned into porn or provoked for unnecessary preoccupation by those who know your weaknesses. Sincerely, I have followed most of your contributions here as much as those by Pragmatist and cannot see your basis of panic and endless accusations. I have failed to figure out why you align Pragmatist with all confrontational posts. Having read through about 3 -5 posts he has made, can simply say he is a fine technocrat with so much political capacity. For instance, I have read through his post # 24 under “Court clears Magande of graft chargesâ€. But where do you get those accusations that he has been insulting?
#5 Mpundu
You’re right in pointing out that the president shouldn’t demean himself such that he shouldn’t dealing with Unions. Those workers deserve better conditions of service. How many times are we going to be sacrificing at the expense of foreign investors. Easy! On the other blog wafaka data. Mumapeza kuti data yonse mwe bantu pilizi?
Mwanawasa is a shame and embarrasement to the people who voted him in to office. honestly, we have a president dancing to the tune of an investor
(white man), its disgraceful!!!!
Why should the president of all things be present in such meetings ? where is the minister of labour, mines PS, Directors etc ? Thats why its difficult to improve conditions of service for workers because an outsider is more important than a Zambian. Just last week, a chief in Mazabuka questioned why Zambia sugar retired a Zambian for over age at 65 years old and just to be replaced by an 80 year old Muzungu.
Im not so critical with Levy but his ability to run the country is always a shock. Why didn’t he first start with the investors to find out as to why they can’t pay dedicated hard working Zambians decent salaries reflecting the boom in the mining sector? It is like have a harsh father who can’t reason with his children when they cry for help. Biaseness by Chuchu is a ashame and slap in the face of hard working Zambians who being mistreated and through bad and harsh working conditions. Chuchu you are the father of the nation and learn to listen to the cries of your children. All they want is better conditions of service with decent salaries.
Im not so critical with Levy but his ability to run the country is always a shock. Why didn’t he first start with the investors to find out as to why they can’t pay dedicated hard working Zambians decent salaries reflecting the boom in the mining sector? Levy having you as our president is like have a harsh father who can’t reason with his children when they cry for help. Biaseness by Chuchu is a shame and slap in the faces of hard working Zambians who are being mistreated through bad and harsh working conditions by foreign investors. Chuchu you are the father of the nation and learn to listen to the cries of your children and don’t take sides. All they want is better conditions of service with decent salaries.
#12.This is pure DEMAGOGY you`re practising.Your friend Mmembe will sue you for copy rights.Just try and defend your BOSS for demeaning the Presidency the way he`s done.
It is clear that Chimumbwa has something sinister maybe approached by another political party promised to stand on their ticket. Chimumbwa may find politics to be dirty and deceiving. Cheap pride can be a source of failure.Chimumbwa just resign before you are kicked out.
The soul of Mazoka must be weeping in the kumalende Grave over Ichilema’s lame rhetoric I quote “ichilema yesterday said people that were leaving the party had failed to conform to the new style of leadership based on hard workâ€.
PEOPLE LEAVING UPND HAVE FAILED TO WORK HARD – HH
““Hichilema yesterday said people that were leaving the party had failed to conform to the new style of leadership based on hard workâ€. End Quote
Hard work! What hard working has Hichilema brought to UPND that the late Andy lacked in building the once vibrant party that UPND became? From the scratch Andy and team built UPND into a party of 48 seats which Hichilema has degraded to a spineless 26 seats MP titular club. UPND is daily suffering mass exodus of devoted members to the ruling MMD. It is being left with empty heads of economic vultures only sniffing his earnings he benefited from the liquidation process. Who flattered him that he has outmatched the natural thinking machine that Andy was? He must be told his words are an open insult to the father and founders of UPND that paid much to build UPND.Does he think he is heading anywhere in our politics? My foot!
Moderator,
If you allow your political patronage to regulate your moderation role in discussions, you risk watering this blog down if not killing the nominal momentum so far. Hardly 30 minutes ago someone pasted a story in slot # 11 from the Post newspapers on Sata’s dictatorship. Quickly you remove it. As much as we know that you are a PF cadre, allow open criticism across the board. Levy is being vilified daily. Saki, Nawakwi, TJ and I have just added the bashed on HH. You don’t panic to delete them or the ruling MMD with all the capacity to fight back in vicious ways ever filler this blog’s access to Zedian bloggers. Beware of your political influences in any service delivery mechanism my eye has witnessed.
SATA, CHIMUMBWA DIFFER OVER MEETINGS
OPPOSITION Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has differed with his former secretary general Charles Chimumbwa for refusing to attend parliamentary caucus meetings which he (Sata) chairs.
This was after Chimumbwa, who is also Nchanga Member of Parliament, wrote to PF whip in the National Assembly Elizabeth Mulobeka, indicating that he would not attend any of the parliamentary caucus meetings because they were being chaired by Sata as party president.
Easy horney,
Come back to bloging now. You have deserted the blog beyond the 45 minutes dangerous threashhold ba Senior Citizen got alarmed with. Look the blog is all dry. Come do your usual impersonations and duplications in arabic, mandaline and Zamleish.
The president has worries of losing investors but what he would have done is direct his juniors to meet MUZ. However when I was studying I learnt something very vital. In the past managers isolated themselves from the workers and the end of the day things were not working well. I think we need more teamork in this global situation in live. All we need is Relationships and I think LPM know this.
Success in business, as in life, is based on the relationships you have with people. Investors, and GRZ must aggressively build relationships with consumers, customers, distributors, partners and even competitors if they want to have success in today’s competitive marketplace. There are four type of relationships (1)win-win (2)win-lose (3)lose-lose (4)lose-win.(customer-vendor). MUZ should know this without investors no jobs and investors without workers also no profits so cooperation and working together is the key.Improve the condition of services then you have no quarells.
HH wake up UPND is now moving backwards and not forward
I think levy has personal interest in the mines,ba mudyesamo guy.
‘strickening sad news’
HIGHWAY BRIDGE FALLS INTO MISSISSIPPI RIVER
A 40-year-old bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed Wednesday with more than 50 vehicles on it. At least seven people were killed when an interstate bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed Wednesday evening, in what the governor called a “catastrophe of historic proportions.” The accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) when dozens of cars were on the bridge.Witnesses described a “dust cloud” as it collapsed, sending cars and and chunks of concrete plunging into the Mississippi River below. At least 60 people were taken to local hospitals, according to Minneapolis Fire Chief Jim Clack.
Fact(21), let us not lose the plot here.Our brothers and sisters on the mines are in turmoil and you want us to discuss 7 people dying in America !!! I wonder if you showed the same concern when Zambians were blown up at the Chinese explosives factory on the Copperbelt?? Focus Fact..Focus !!Ba Chilu(4), i wish i was a receipient of the the monies you allude to.If i was, i wouldn’t spend as much time as i do discussing issues on Lusaka Times!!!Point of correction Ba Chilu,gold is not the heartbeat of RSA and your comparison is thus inaccurate.LPM has shown concern in a matter that affects the majority of the formally employed….what is wrong with that…or do you prefer he spends time admiring “mbabula” from Germany!!Mwebantu tamwaba nechisuma…i suppose that is why political office is such a thankless job.
Congratulations!!! Lusaka times, well done u have managed to erased ci arabic calembele embulwa mano. Pls try also to make it impossible for imposters to be accepted on blog, if possible u give each individual blogers a secret code numbers for one to use whenever blogging.
#21 Ba FACT, much as we sympathize with our friends in Mississipi, we cannot spent time and the little energy we have to discuss other country’s predicament we have enough tribulations in our nations. Tell us was there anything discussed or reported in Mississipi about the recent accidents we had at Chambeshi mines or any other accidents for that matter.
IF YOU MAKE OVERNIGHT DEALS WITH THE MINE OWNERS TO MAKE ‘TRANSFERS’ OR IS IT DONATIONS TO YOUR PRIVATE ACCOUNT FOR PARTY BUSINESS, THIS IS WHAT IT COMES TO. YOU HAVE THE ENTIRE STATE OFFICE TAKING UP THE ARBITRATION ROLE. VERY DEMEANING FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT. YOU PREFER YOUR PIPO GET PEANUTS AND YOUR BENEFACTOR GOES SMILING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK OVER THE SWEAT OF THE POOR. THIS COULD BE EQUATED TO TAKING AWAY EVEN THE LITTLE THAT THE POOR HAVE. LETS HOPE IN ALL THIS THERE IS EMPATHY FOR THE POOR WORKERS. AM QUESS THE POOR WORKERS ARE ASKING FOR MINE ‘STRANGLING’ CONDITIONS.
LAST SENTENCE SHOULD READ: I GUESS THE POOR WORKERS ARE NOT ASKING FOR MINE ‘STRANGLING’ CONDITIONS.
Ba Joe pls dont shout when making a point, otherwise u shout ur lungs out, take it cool.
Hi Ba AM, I was not shouting, I was just contributing to the debate. The bottom line is that efforts to minimize strikes are welcome but it is the procedure taken to make these efforts which come into question. You leave pipo wondering whether there is something going. There are relevant structures who can that job without necessarily jumping stages to meeting with the highest office. What then would he do if it happened that strikes continue or worsen? ask ministries concerned to come in? I think his concerns are understood but he should use pipo he has put in place to do the job otherwise it also amounts to undermining there efforts if at all they were making any. He doesnt need to personally get involved for us to know he is concerned, his ministers are enough for us to tell government’s concern. Personally I would discourage him to do that again, lest pipo think there something behind. My fellow citizen (if you are one) AM, dont worry about pipo’s suspicions in such cases
Ba Joe #25 get used to small letters, that’s why you sound too loud.
#29 JOE using capital is termed as shouting in Internet terminology. So stop it.