Monday, November 18, 2024

ZFE fears massive job losses due to protests

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File: Some striking Staff

The Zambia Federation of Employers has warned that the current wave of workers protests if mishandled can lead to business closures and severe retrenchments.

Federation Executive Director, Harrington Chibanda has observed that business expenses are normally transferred to customers thus increments in salaries will have spiral effect.

Mr. Chibanda has said that the country’s inflation can equally be affected through the anticipated increase in prices of most goods and services.

He said that the federation would instead like to see social dialogue prevail with workers allowed to join unions.

Mr. Chibanda added that the issue of the minimum wage must be handled in a consultative process including members of the tripartite labor council.

Meanwhile, workers at Zambezi Portland Cement Plant in Ndola Monday morning downed tools to demand three point five million kwacha salary increment across the board.

But management has offered five hundred thousand kwacha as cushion while government reviews the minimum wage.

When the workers reported for work at 0800 hours Monday morning, they decided to gather outside the company premises and started chanting slogans against management.

Management and party officials from the ruling Patriotic Front led by Copperbelt Chairman Rebby Chanda and officials from the labour office held a closed door meeting where they resolved to offer the workers the five hundred thousand kwacha.

And a Director at the company Daniel Ventriglia says his company will stick to contract agreements signed by the workers.

Mr Ventriglia says the company has signed contracts which have been attested by the labour office and will not depart.

Copperbelt Principal Labour Officer Eunice Misima has advised the company to allow workers to affiliate to a union of their choice.

Mrs Misima says this will give them an opportunity to have a union which will negotiate for their conditions of service.

The workers were later advised to report back for work on Tuesday and continue working.

ZNBC

44 COMMENTS

  1. There will be industrial unrest in the country for many months to come.The government should not make the mistake of raising against the people because chances are people will raise up against it.We haven’t seen anything yet.Very soon Mines on the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces will start the negotiations for service conditions.These are giants mind you.There will be strikes and terrible riots.The PF promised too much.They should control the situation themselves.DONT KUBEBA guys.

    • Exactly, and therein lies the problem….. too many unilateral actions with too little thought. You can shout Pabwato (with endless ooooos off the page) but will soon discover that the market is an iron-fisted bitch and doesn’t care who won the elections.

  2. Its less tax on us but mining companies so that we live the promise of more money in our pockets to give us fat accounts, new cars, high paying jobs all in 90 days. its now or never. If you don’t pay us, we go to statehouse for a Presidential decree on your company. Its either you give us more money in the pocket or you pack and go we can create wealth ourselves we don’t need infestors. As a matter of fact we are nationalists. Under our man of action, no employer will pay less than ZK 1 million/month.

  3. Our social contract with our man of action was that we deliver the voter, he delivers in 90 days:

    -More money in our pockets

    -Barotseland seccession

    -High paying jobs to all of us

    -Lower taxes on us

    -Introduce windfall tax on mines

    -Slap higher taxes on all infesters

    -End compounds with kanyama replaced with modern houses donated to us

    -End casual jobs

    -New constitution delivered in 90 days

    -Free media

    -Depoliticization of the public service

    -Universities and Hospitals delivered in every chiefdom and every 100KM distance.

    Watch our money of action in 90 days shame the world. Like idi Amin told Britons that he could feed and teach them how to manage a country, let embattled Obama come and learn from MCS how to create jobs in 90 days.

  4. Shortcuts don’t work. And for a small economy like Zambia, shortcuts can be disastrous. When people are forced to pay above what they can afford, they will just fire some workers. That will mean higher unemployment.

  5. It’s all gonna happen in 90. In fact, it’s already been happening. Dont worry guys. It’s MoMoney in 90 days or guerra. Patience though, coz we have not eevn sailed half of those days. Let the Captain MCS direct…

    • Owbalv on October 20, 2011 Oddly eonugh, i think a Bruce Almighty game would have been kinda cool. Go around and use your powers to help people or to help yourself to things. Who wouldnt want to play god?

    • ZUMBAROSE on January 1, 2011 Love this! When will you cdiuoctnng instructor training? I’m in DC and they would love this! Also where can I get the skirts?

  6. I thought more money in our pockets is supposed to come from lower taxes on our salaries. I see jittery companies forced to increase salaries but companies have to make profit so what do they do? increase prices! what happens to more money in our pockets? reduced due to high prices. then we are back to square one!

  7. People should realise that we are in this together with MCS, yes, most of these companies have the capacity to pay, others have been exploiting us, however, we have to resolve this in a controlled manner – am sure all employers know that times have changed & they will have to pay REALITY WAGES NOT FANCY PEANUT WAGES, so this is the time to sit down & negotiate – lets not compromise current jobs, cause some companies may just force a crisis by pulling out as a “bargaining tantrum!” Thus for now, “a bird in hand is better than two in the bush!!” Lets get our unions & ministry of Labour to drive this forward – Viva Ubwato, we are “sailing!!”

  8. Yes, Kaponya-nomics at work! No investor can establish a company in a coutry where the head of state just wokes-up and orders an increase in wages and encourages workers to demand high wages.

  9. There will be a lot of retrenchments this year bcoz when minimum wage is increased, most employers will react by trimming their workforce so as to stay afloat. Once these jubilant pronouncements and decrees are over, there will be a lost of morning and gnashing of teeth when entire households get reduced to beggers. Pray that your household will not be affected becoz this wind of changes knows no political affliation

    • frtahnthebeasaboy on April 22, 2011 i have a slight problemafter i hold down the tv button and the 4 lights light up, then i press the power button and did the same exact thing you didbut when i press the up button for the code, it automatically switches to satellite and changes the channels, please help

  10. muzalila maibabe. you will miss even that 300pin u are pontelaling right now. now is not the time to take ur job lightly. by all means seek higher wages but do it realistically and through the right channels. at the rate this is going kaya. maillo will tell.

  11. Believe you me Bwalya Ng’andu will take a Presidential decree to turn BOZ into a cash printing machine and Zambia will be in hyper inflation in a matter of months. There will be some massive lay-offs and exits in a wait and see in business. Technocrats beware and save the country from utopia of dangerous populism.

  12. my question still remains, has all the big mouths who were shouting loud against bwezani cowed against sata that the can`t speak gainst this madness or they have got their cut and have opted to remain quite

    • they are all cowards and im pretty sure that even his cabinet including his vice president is scared of him too.We are in for it this is just the beggining lets just be on our knees praying to God so that he delivers him from his demonic mind,coz the man is devilsh,sorry to say that but thats wat he is anyway!

    • sreupgnyus on December 21, 2010 @awekay007 I’m Hawaiian and thought the same thing as you, until I TRIED it. I recommend that you try it with an open mind, you’ll be hooked. It works your large muscles in ways that most people have to use weights for. It’s not like dancing at a halau, so it’s not necessarily hula by definition, but can you imagine haole people pronouncing, Let’s go to Ori or tamure Aloha!

  13. MR SATA AND HIS PF GOVERNMENT ARE LIKELY TO RUIN THIS COUNTRY IF THEY ARE NOT CAREFUL, OWNING A COUNTRY IS ONE THING BUT GETTING THE BEST OUT IT IS ANOTHER. NO ONE OWNS A COMPANY FOR THE SAKE OF OWNING IT BUT FOR PROFIT. IF EMPLOYEES MAKE UNREALISTIC DEMAND WAGES, THEN I WILL ASK THEM TO RESIGN AND EMPLOYEE FAMILY MEMBERS. INVESTORS WILL START LIVING THIS COUNTRY FOR OTHER COUNTRIES WERE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT ARE FRIENDLY. THIS COUNTRY IS BECOMING ANOTHER ZIMBABWE. MR SATA IS FIRING PEOPLE INDISCRIMINATELY WITHOUT COURSE OF NATURAL JUSTICE BEING FOLLOWED AS IF HE IS GOING TO REPLACE THEM WITH ANGELS. THE MAN IS VERY CRUEL AND UNFORGIVING. LET HIM BE A DEMOCRATIC LEADER THAN BEING A DICTATOR. TOMORROW IT WILL BE HIM OR HIS CHILDREN.

    • i agree with you the man is as evil as the devil himself he is so heartless,so unGodly,may he be delivered in Jesus’ name

    • 24HourFitnessInc on September 29, 2011 Well first make sure you avoid utahelnhy snacks such as potato chips, donuts, or cookies as they will cause your blood sugar levels to quickly peak, leaving you feeling hungry again soon after. Try fresh fruit (bananas are great), yogurt (Greek yogurt is a good low sugar choice), a low fat bran muffin, or a bagel with cottage cheese.

  14. all this mentality of whoshiping investors in the of name development is nonsense.these companies make good money and need to fair it fairly with workers.let these guys allow us to look at there business books to c how much profit they are making.

    • 654starz on October 20, 2011 ru a good keissr1 hold? ur breath2 go on to another video3 add this comment but still holding you r breath4 did you make it if you did then ur a good keissr

  15. Who cares if they pack there bags and go,others will come just the way they came.This ZFE people fears that they will no longer receive whatever these parasites are paying them.Its our prayer that the President continues to clean all these boards and companies. He should also check the immigration office the so called Kent building

  16. Heard through the grapevine that the Chinese are wlling to increase the minimum wage to 5 million ZMK per month. You see ourbeloved President is delivering already. Long live PF.

  17. The president will again give a directive that;

    There should be no industrial unrest with immediate effect.
    There shall be no retrenchment with immediate effect.
    There sha be no job loss with immediate effect.
    There shall be employment everywhere unrevervedly springing up everywhere.
    There shall be salary increments indiscriminately.

    Shamemenda, see to it that this happents immediately!

    • lmabchopxoxo on December 11, 2010 ive never had a trainer but i talk to them sometimes and theyre awesome and also have decent educations. most have a minimum undergrad and many have a masters degree. i love working out. its *life*

  18. #2 did not seek my opinion about industrial unrest in our beloved country.I hope you got the news today,SKOOL employees down tools,NFCA employees down tools,ZAWA employees down tools,CCS employees down tools.I hope you heard what Shamenda said about the same.A business is as good as the man(SATA) running it.The Cobra must be equally shocked with the turn of events.We haven’t seen anything yet.Please listen to news tomorrow.DONT KUBEBA…lol

  19. As much as we wud all want to have money in our pockets, we shud also try to understand the situation at a business and economic perspective.its not an overnite night thing to change a companys budget.why did they sign the contracts if they new they wudnt be paid what they wanted.Those protesting are just putting more pressure on our president you might just end up making him to make a stupid and costly decision.And to all those fools saying you dont need investors then you know nothing about zambias economy, since you dont need investors the are a lot of copper deposits and cement deposits in zed, go and open a mine or a cement plant n

  20. Typically people who believed in the ninety days miracle and the windfall of pockets full Kwacha are gullible together with those who were offering the promise. The statement above is apt. I was telling some Sata disciples to fall back on Kaunda’s pre indepence campaign promises of one egg per day for ech zambian, no one to walk bare foot, free education and medical services,subsidies etc… Relying on the inherited pounds from colonists kaunda was able to meet some promises albeit for a short time. When the inherited pounds were depleted, he nationalised the economy taking even the mines whose technology he had no idea about and when the machines became obsolete Kaunda became a very bad person; fonkofonko then became his name.The same awaits sata. I tell you.

  21. Already the copper prices are coming down and we shall see how economists without vision will do. high expectations are yielding work stopages and this seems to be growing like bush fires. Those of us in employment are waiting for reduced tax and society now is not like the 1964 one which was not questioning kaunda why peple still went without shoes and an egg every day. This time we will question……..

  22. lraulbiz on August 27, 2009 What a ridiculous thing they did. That car would had been better in the hands of a car enthusiast. I surely bet it would be in better condition than this heap of rust and junk. My respect to those who are trying to restore it, but for the looks of it better go and buy any used Belvedere, LOL.

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