strike forcing management to close outlets.
The unionized workers are demanding that management expedites the introduction of a local pension scheme.
A check by ZNBC at Shoprite Cairo road and Manda Hill in Lusaka found workers seated outside while security officers manned the gates.
The situation was the same in Kitwe, Luanshya and Livingstone.
In Kitwe, workers gathered outside singing songs denouncing management.
And addressing the workers at Shoprite Manda Hill, Labour Deputy Minister, Simon Kachimba, urged them to be patient as government was addressing their concerns.
Mr. Kachimba said government has summoned a Shoprite executive officer from South Africa to discuss the matter.
National Union of Commercial and Industrial Workers General Secretary, John Bwalya, told ZNBC in Kitwe that workers have rejected the pension scheme which was calculated in South Africa.
Mr. Bwalya said that Shoprite Management made pension calculations based on the South African laws which are not in line with the Zambian labour laws.
This is the second time that unionised workers at the chain store have gone on strike this year demanding introduction of a local pension scheme and improved conditions of service.
[ZNBC]
yaku ! elolwanya nomba
It’s only pa Zed where such nonsense happens. How can people work under the pension scheme which was calculated in South Africa and yet they are in Zambia. I doubt it if the Boers would want to make the standard for the zambians as good as that for the South Africans. Our government is ready to accept investors without considering seriously under what condtions the local workers would be working. For SA, zambians are cheap labour.
Honestly , let the workers get their dues.. Shoprite makes lots of interest which is remitted to RSA, the HQ.. You are using these Zambinas as ‘cheap labour’
Yaba nkani yalula! This has been long over due!
Well, meant ‘Zambians’ @3
What can you expect from some of these investors, exploitation, exploitation and more exploitation. The number one and chief exploiter is of course the current GRZ under Mr Banda, eg, how they treated hard working nurses.
I feel for the workers. It is terrible to work under a management which does not have the financial security of employees at heart.
I always say this. In Zambia we have set our standards and goals ver.y low to the point that anything is acceptable. First of all, do we think if we had set our minimum standards RB can be president of Zambia? The answer is simply, no. To even sink lower during election time citizens are lured by bribes of sugar and cooking oil, etc. Do you think if we had standards we can vote for someone even if we were bribed with such petty items? No. Look at Soweto Market. It is the filthiest place I have ever visited on earth. Just in the neighbouring country Botswana or Namibia it would have been closed ages ago. Look at our buildings in Cairo road. The only structure that comes a bit near to a 17th century is the southend ZANACO.
#8, the bottom line is : Zambians had no choice but to fall for Bwezani.. no credible person to elect into power and so, for peaceful means, kusala ico umwene..
Time our young credible serious minded Zambians stood up to rule this beautiful country which has deteriorated since time memorial… 45 years in making with no tangible ‘time’ piece.. shame…
cntd frm #8… Look at our commuter transport system. How can in this 20th century a gvt allow such small death traps you call mini buses? Can’t Zambia have bigger/roomy descnt commuter buses? At least the one which are called mini buses here in London which even enable at least 3 push chairs, or two push chairs and a wheelchair for disabled persons. Look at the nurses, teachers, police officers salaries! The gvt has demeaned the civil service. When Levy was soliciting for investors in China he said we have cheap labour in Zambia. So, if even the president doesn’t respect and value you, expecting a SAfrican to come and upgrade your standards is a joke.
cntd frm #10… Any foreign investor come to make money, not to set high standards for you. Or create infrastructure. Wapi! Just compare shoprite, spa, etc, in Zambia with those of Botswana, you will be shocked. In fact they are built in the outskirts of the towns where there’s more space. They are massive and beautiful. This is because they found very high standards in Botswana. The same thing applies to numeration. Shop assistants there are even able to obtain car loans from banks. “Ubufumu bucindika abene”. Cibemba icikulu sana ici. Our labour laws must be completely, overhauled. And not just tinkering with them.
#9. SATA was by far better than RB who was just retrieved from the scrapyard.
And by the way #9 Thenji, don’t just pick on the presidency. There are so many examples. Even those I haven’t cited that tell you and confirm that Zambia is a low-standard country with people comfortable with sub standards. Compare most of the Zambian manufactured products to those of Botswana. Look, I am not even mentioning Europe or America, but just in the neighbourhood.
For alongtime now Zambian government and its people have accepted total exploitations by S/African investors and China.No doubts we all know that shoprite workers salaries are so low dispite the huge money this investors generate from zambian people, besides they have tax free award from our own government. its an obvious issue that these Zambian shoprite workers can not work under the pensions schemes which was calculated in S/Africa, they have all the rights to protest in line with Zambian labour laws and not S/AFRICAN laws.
Soon or later these shoprite workers will be left like the way supreme and barnetts furnitures Zambian employees were left with nothing in their hands and our unserious governement had litle intervention despite knowing that supreme left without paying benefits to its employees. When is our government going to protect its own people and not investors?
If only this gvt can offer local investor very flexible investment conditions. And I mean flexible. Indegenous Zambians can re-vive super markets such as OK Zambia, Mwaiseni, and Zambia Consumer Buying Corporation. But, the conditions must be even better than those offered to Chinamen. Eg, No charge whatsoever, on any machinery/material imported to help set up business. In addition, no tax charged on business if minimum pre-determined profit is not yet achieved. In the UK, when one sets up business no tax is slapped on your business if you are not making a minimum profit. Free training for business startups, access to loans, etc.
cntd frm #16… Advantage will be Zambians owned business with the interest at heart for their own country, profits never externalised, same shops expanding beyond boarders, no threat of investors abundoning Zambia, encouraged manufacturing industry for more jobs. Benefits are endless.
VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda has expressed fear that some teachers who are electoral presiding officers in the Chitambo parliamentary by-election ‘will…rig’ elections in favour of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) following their decision to shun his campaign rally. But PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott has said Vice-President Kunda’s statement was an admission that the electoral process
had loopholes that could be used to rig elections.
In an interview with The Post on Monday at Reuben Primary School in Serenje at a campaign rally to woo votes for the MMD parliamentary candidate Dr Solomon Musonda in tomorrow’s parliamentary by-election, Vice-President Kunda accused teachers at the school of distributing PF campaign pamphlets.
Vice-President Kunda was reaffirming the…
Vice-President Kunda was reaffirming the misgivings he raised during his address earlier.
In his address to a sizeable crowd, Vice-President Kunda openly complained that the teachers at Reuben Primary School shunned his visit although it was the first time for a Republican Vice-President to visit the area.
“We are also disappointed that teachers are becoming partisan supporting the PF. I am here as your Vice-President but instead of being here, they have all disappeared. What kind of teachers are these?” Vice-President Kunda asked.
He said wherever he and his campaign team had gone, the teachers had warmly welcomed them and even explained to him the problems they had.
Vice-President Kunda expressed dismay at the teachers of Reuben Primary School.
“Where do you find the…
He said wherever he and his campaign team had gone, the teachers had warmly welcomed them and even explained to him the problems they had.
Vice-President Kunda expressed dismay at the teachers of Reuben Primary School.
“Where do you find the headmaster walks away when he knows we are coming? The teachers have also been distributing pamphlets urging you the voters to vote for PF. This government will not tolerate indiscipline,” Vice-President Kunda warned. “We want teachers to teach our children. That is their duty not to be involved in partisan politics. How can such teachers preside over elections? They will start rigging.”
When asked on the concerns he had raised about teachers’ involvement in politics, Vice-President Kunda maintained that some teachers that would preside…
When asked on the concerns he had raised about teachers’ involvement in politics, Vice-President Kunda maintained that some teachers that would preside over elections could rig the elections in favour of the Michael Sata-led PF.
“It’s unfortunate! Like here, for the first time, a Vice-President comes here, you should share…what are the problems which you are facing here in terms of educating our people and then teachers…because they are partisan, they leave the place,” Vice-President Kunda said. “Now, it’s unfortunate, we should continue with political education and of course if people don’t want to work in a non-partisan manner, they should leave the government. It’s unfortunate. Teachers must work with the government of the day, help in the implementation of the…
It’s unfortunate. Teachers must work with the government of the day, help in the implementation of the programmes.”
Vice-President Kunda urged teachers to be neutral when conducting elections.
“When it comes to elections we must have a level playing field where we can compete. At the end of the day the party which is popular will win the elections. We have seen for example Southern Province, the UPND does win, in this Luapula Province of course things are changing now the PF won, Northern Province, the Copperbelt and Lusaka [provinces] but at the same time the electoral officers, teachers must serve without these biases so that we can have elections which are competitive and which are genuinely free and fair. Yes!” Vice-President Kunda said.
When asked to amplify on his…
When asked to amplify on his fears that teachers that were involved in party politics could rig elections, Vice-President Kunda responded: “It is possible. Like here; they are saying that they have been distributing PF pamphlets. That is unfortunate. Teachers must play a fair game.”
He said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was there to provide free and fair elections.
“In fact, they [teachers] work for the ECZ; the ECZ is there to provide free and fair elections, so they are agents for the electoral commission and we want an independent electoral commission, not what we have seen here,” Vice-President Kunda said.
Shoprite has been zed for a long time. They should have discussed all this like 18 years ago.
I shed so many tears.
Peter, I love the way you think. Keep it coming!!!
If by high presidential standards we mean voting for Sata, then I doubt my understanding of “high standard”
Let the government interven and make sure that the people of Zambia get what they deserve,
This is the problem when you get employed without minimum qualification. These Boers know that they are using cheap labour hence slave wages and our govt is the worst of it’s kind. No one really cares about these Shoprite employees and we shall continue seeing this happen while they continue getting slave wages with a pension scheme from SA.
Ba LT any latest on Tetamashimba’ treatment ?
The Govt does not value its pipo, so how do you expect the investor to care. There conditions should have have been set a long time ago, but the govt just ignored. Now that things are worse is when they want to react. Go on Shoprite workers, Go on. Dont go back to work until your demands are met. Some one said something about qualifications, whats that got to do with anything, some pipo have do not qualifications by choice , but by circumstances beyound their control.
Shoprite has been in Zambia for years now and is one of the best performing companies on the LUSE. It’s share prices are currently K14,000 making it second from ZCCM-IH. Shoprite has opened outlets in many cities/towns in Zambia and has provided employment for many people in the nation. If the problem is the pension scheme, why wasn’t this discussed when Shoprite was in operations. This shows that the union leaders are the ones at fault for bringing this issue now when it should have been discussed a long time ago.
On the non entrepreneurial Zambians, I ask, those complaining about Shoprite applying good business ethics in its running and therefore enabling it to expand its business, how has MELISSA made it in the retail world??
cont. #31
I am assuming MELISSA supermarket is Zambian owned. How have they managed to make profits facing stiff competition from Shoprite and Spar?
I think some non entrepreneurial Zambians are jealous of the Boers good business skills unmatched by the non entrepreneurial Zambians.
This is how ZAMTEL employees will be treated once privitised. What a beautiful country gone to d…gs!
Privatising Zambia’s Stategic entities will not solve the current financial and luck of good governance by GRZ Zambians are facing.
The Gov is aware that the pipo are been mistreated, what have they done about it? At the end of the day, it is the minster of pensions and works responsibility to ensure that the labour force and their pensions are up to standards.
TETA MALILO IS HOSPITALISED IN MILLPARK. We can have a bit of political sanity while he is away.
I can see what the workers are going thru at Shoprite. Its hell on earth. Those workers put make ups on their faces by smiling but deep down their minds they work under very terrible conditions. Mr. Botha General Manager is highly trained experienced retailer having bin trained and groomed in NIEC then knows the conditions are worse but has kept zee coz he is eating with them. Let him not forget what happened at Supreme. Some local manahers tried their best to protect RSA interests today we are streetmen together. I had an encounter with then De Swart GM then. I refused an offer which came thru Investment Centre as Payroll Manager though I badly needed a job but coz their conditions of service were bad. I said NO. In RSA they cant behave like that the laws are clear. GO ON STRIKE GO GO GO
It is high time we demanded what is just and fair. We all know what these shoprite guys go through and we should support them.
And I thought Zed had labour laws that thses investors were suppose to follow and abide by. What is the Minister of Labour and NAPSA doing about this? Can somebody stop this world from spinning, I got to get off.