Unionised workers at the Times of Zambia Workers in Ndola this morning downed tools demanding payment of salary arrears by management.
The workers who are owed up to eight months arrears have been angered by a plea from management to bear with them for the delay in paying salaries.
Management in a letter addressed to the workers said the company is facing liquidity problems as the money collected is not enough to meet all expenses such as salaries which take about 75 percent of total cash inflow per month.
Company Managing Director Beston Ng’onga said collection of money by debt collectors has been hard as most companies are facing serious liquidity problems adding that they are trying hard to meet their obligation to workers and with your support and patience will succeed.
“Let us see how much we collect by tomorrow, otherwise we will have no option but to implement batch payment. We are also proposing that money allowing we may have to pay you double salaries this month to avoid accumulating an arrear. this is just a proposal and depends on money collected”, the letter issued by Mr Ng’onga read in part.
Mr Ng’onga said in the meantime, workers must rally behind the union leaders as they also pursue the issue with IDC.
“Management has also engaged the president directly on the same issue. We pray something positive comes out of these engagement. the reality on the ground is that productivity has gone down and we only have one line of income generation, advertising, which is not enough to meet the wage bill for unionized workers of K900 000 on average per month”, he added.
Mr Ng’onga added that the company has bloated labour most of which is not productive but talk too much when it comes to salaries.
“You may insult me in whatever way but the fact is that the company is limping. Whoever takes over from me will face the same if we do not change our attitudes towards work. Remember, in the abundance of words, sin is not absent”, added the MD in a letter accessed by Lusaka Times.
“If you are not paid I am also not paid. So only a fool will want to delay salaries when that will also affect him”, he added.
Mr Ng’onga urged the work to work together with management as they fight for what belongs to them.
“United we will stand but divided we will fall. Enemies of Times of Zambia will always try to divide us so as to achieve their motives. Dont say you were not warned. Remember, every waiting is not in vain forgive us but let’s move together. insults will not solve the problems but combining our efforts”, he added.
These are loss making companies…something needs to be done….with Technology no one buys print media anymore
But am sure the so called Managing Directors get paid heavy salaries every month
When the only news you report is Lungu this, Lungu that, who do you think will waste money to buy your paper?
I thought the IDC managing director said SOE’s were doing fine? So imagine the situation Times of Zambia has not paid employees for 8 months, Zampost hasn’t paid workers for 10 months, Daily mail ………………
Its terrible and the MD says enemies of Times of Zambia since when did a SOE have enemies? Who?How? For what?
Kekekeke hahaha government on strike??
Hoooly shiit.
Ha ha I see it’s the Zambians in Ndola and rest of Zambia, not useless Lusaka Benghazi.
Do corporate insolvency laws apply to state-owned enterprises under IDC Ltd under the board chairmanship of ECL?
The problem is far above management. People have identified this as a state propaganda tool so they don’t read the paper. With severely shrunk readership who will advertise? Very few. This is a company that should be quickly declared bankrupt. It will never go into the black. If you work for Times and you are hoping that one day you will be given your arrears you are cheating yourselves. Look for another job because the only way forward is liquidation
I read the ToZ myself and I know that it attracts lots of advertising. Like any newspaper I read, I choose wht to believe, wht to give the benefit of the doubt and wht to reject outright. Are advertisers paying the paper? Advertising is the life blood of any newspaper. Surely it ought to be making money.
@Nemwine you say you know that it attracts lots of advertising? Really? This sounds like you are wishing it could attract advertisers because it doesn’t since 1990. Who would want to advertise in a govt propaganda publication? And
Have you read what the Editor in chief is saying about advertising
Just shut down that gonga paper Mr Gonga, it serves no purpose
Lungu the so called humble one pay these people please. These people helped you win by reporting on you alone and this is how you repay them. All the other parties before you paid them and you want to neglect them while your cadres are busy enjoying other people’s sweat and bragging about it.
Ba PF, you closed The Post Newspapers for owing on K12million and sent 2,000 people oit of work.
Be consistent and close those loss making Newspapers!
the problem is that you report lies and you think right thinking readers can buy such nonsense
Yaba! Iyi yeve iliko bad guys! Eight monthéz shuwa!? People wake up to go for work for 8 months without getting paid? Koma Zambians are nice people ayiiii!???
We can’t pay you we still have to purchase more fire tenders.
8 months salary arrears and you are busy dancing to Dununa reverse and singing praises to ECL and the PF. That is your problem.
Suffer peacefully.
Don’t forget to attend the national day of prayers. They may be dishing out free snake meat for the attendees.
My question is if Times of Zambia is in salary arrears, what about taxes? Are they remitting to NAPSA what by law they have to? Are the futures of the Times of Zambia employees safe?
This is very serious mwebantu.
IDC bailed out Intermarket Bank why can’t they do the same for Times of Zambia, or do they already know that the company is no longer viable? What is IDC not telling us?
It is not a viable business. Ask yourself why media all over the world want to promote themselves as independent. Because people who Read newspapers don’t want cooked stories. Times and daily mail can’t boast being independent so they are out of the market. They can only survive if they are a monopoly
This even from way back has never been popular simply because of their bias in reporting. Secondly with widespread Internet where any one can access news the paper is losing income. So how does a loss making organization take itself out of the current rut? Only through being innovative. 10 or 5 years ago management should have seen this coming and should have planned well in advance for such times. Lastly this goes to my nation of Zambia, how are we planning to improve our economy? Remember that we have only been doing a little well in copper production simply because countries like Congo DR which has better grades has had rough times due to war but now that things seem to be getting better for them they will become better than us. Remember minerals are non renewable so what’s next for…
“””” enemies of the times of Zambia will try and divide us””…….once again public institutions trying to blame someone else for their failures !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is you that has not paid salaries to hard working employees !! Disgraceful – had this been a private company the labour minister would have already shut it down!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do you expect of a newspaper when the company’s managing director himself can’t write correct English?