Hundred of Mopani miners were this morning sent back home after management proceeded to placing the mine on care and maintenance.
Mopani Copper Mines General Manager Colyn Farr met the miners who were in the morning shift and advised them to return home.
Mr Farr then proceeded to issue letters to its employees, sending them on mandatory leave.
The letters issued by Mopani Copper Mines Human Resource department to employees indicated that workers will be paid their basic pay and housing allowances for at least 3 months and are not allowed to take up full time or formal employment elsewhere while leave days will not accrue during the period they will be home.
And Mine Workers Union of Zambia President Joseph Chewe addressed the miners and encouraged them to meet at the Mopani central offices tomorrow morning to pressure management into addressing their concerns.
This was kainde’s way to tackle COVID 19. Lockdown of the country.
Minister of mines Richard Musukwa’s strong feelings and wish aren’t of much help unfortunately. It’s sad day of course because property owners, retailers, taxi drivers, etc will all feel the pinch. It’s high time we drew up a plan to industrialize Zambia because it’s in our own collective interest. We’re not short of expertise. Wht we are short of is political leadership and will to make this happen over a period of time by spending public money smartly and not spending money worse than a drunken sailor.
These miners thought this utterly incompetent govt will come to rescue them with issuing empty threats to their employers…its like a toothless dog back from a distance and not coming forward.
Musukwa we are gathered here where are you? The bull dog Government without teeth.
NATIONALISE.
Guys,
My 16 years working in the mines of Zambia gave me a unique insight into breathing life into these “mature” mines. I’ve successfully handled such projects in South America. Zambia has the skills, if astutely handled, they can work wonders. Those local skills, combined with the current assets and appropriate technology can become a success story.
I’ve written to:
President Lungu
The Vice President
The Minister of Mines
The Minister of Energy and Water Development, and
Hon Lusambo
…..TO NO AVAIL!!!
Sad day, Indeed. Nomba ba minister ba Richard abati shani? Hope he is not a paper tiger
That is PF regime for you, bena Kopala – salapukeni ku ubufi wa Lungu.
Kaizer Zulu is holed up in his Mansion in Lusaka yet these people have been kicked into the sea of unemployment .The writing was all over the wall about this government packed with thieves .They only care about their bank accounts not zambians who regrettably should be their employers
This is just the beginning tighten your belts euro bond payments are coming ….
You will curse the day you put monkeys in a maize field
It is called being furloughed. You get paid to sit at home. What more would any reasonable man ask for? Don’t be dull. This is time to spend with your families and do all those little projects that work prevents you doing. Be productive and clever . Kz
The arrogant PF government must find employment for them. They always take arrogant approach instead of dialogue approach. It was yesterday or so when they reused to put the mine on care and maintenance as if it’s PF government pay the salaries. Listen to your investors
One moron on the thread is using terminology like furlough currently being used here, not specifying further as he knows he will give himself away…unlike in the UK where he is this mine will not pay these workers like the UK govt is doing. This PF govt of empty tins has been caught pants down again like the KCM issue where they rushed to liquidate with out reading the small print and putting chaps like Amos Chanda and Kz on the Liquidator’s team. ..really laughable…Some smart countries have legislative frameworks to ensure care and maintenance programs are in place before granting mine “closure certificates”…in Zambia its non existent as we have placed foooooools in top civil service headed by a former Primary School Tutor like Richard for a minister.
Not all will be paid, especially the contract workers getting one “ex-gratia” payment. There is also no guarantee of everyone getting their jobs back later, as has happened before.
Hopeless half-baked reporting. Where did this happen? Mopani has mines in different towns!
@ kz seem to contrast minister musukwa and government’s position on the matter which is a total rejection of mopani’s move. And he says ‘don’t be dull’. We need help
Emotions and posturings by our Mines Minister does not help to resolve challenges COVID 19 has presented to mining operations. One gets the impression we have a Minister for Mines who does not understand the Value Chain for mines and the “High Gearing” that is involved with mine operations. Idling a mine for just one hour results in huge costs in millions of US Dollars to the mine operation. Now, we have lockdowns across African countries and we being landlocked means essential supplies for the mines like spares and consumables are marooned due to lock downs. We have no timeframe when lockdowns will end. Realistic evidence based models show that lockdowns may have to be in place for longest, 3 months. The fact that we are not recording cases should not mislead us to be careless. The…
The Minister should call for a meeting with all mining houses and appreciate how COVID 19 is negatively impacting mining in the country. To date, the Mines Minister has not presented a report on how COVID 19 is likely to impact mining which is lack of seriousness and ineptitude on his part. Politics aside, review the current operational challenges the lockdowns are having and listen to experts and project forward how long this is likely to take and work out a win-win solution without disadvantaging the investor because you want to please (cheat) people to get votes!
We are still in talks over contracted workers. Remember this is a negotiation. If we had a way we would force them to pay everyone. Unfortunately that is not how things work in real world. I say remain patient and avoid sinking as low as that b.a.stard tarino who insults senior government officials. You have lost your morals there in UK. They say those that disrespect their parents and elders don’t live long. In fact the f.o.ol is you. You don’t even deserve to be called a dog.
The minister has capitulated today barely 24 hours after growing amangala. Glencore has ‘shaved’ off all his feathers today and he is calling for dialogue which he should have done yesterday not playing to the gallery.. You can mess around natu KCM and other small investors.
The main problem is that PF has taken people for a ride for too long and no one can be cheated anymore, not even PF cadres who have seen less and less money in their pockets since 2011.
Ka lab assistant ati government official. You are done you money and can’t wait for 2022 to see your backsides
That $17 billion debt Zambia owes should have come in to save Zambians in times like this if a responsible leadership was in charge
…….but alas , a leadership that sees nothing wrong with spending $42 million on fire trucks that should have cost $13 million predicts the outcome ……
Baboons in charge of a maize field
Lungu and his team showing off unprecedented development is like a gambler showing off new suits while he starves…….
I suspect it was Kitwe because the caption says Kitwe and Mufulira isn’t mentioned.
Yes the story says nothing
THE SHORTSIGHTEDNESS OF MOPANI IS STAGGERING
YES THE COPPER PRICES HAVE PLUMMETED SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF CORONA VIRUS AND COVID 19 DIESEASE
BUT ONE SHOULD CONSIDER THE OUTLOOK
COPPER WILL REMAIN IN DEMAND AND PRICES WILL SOAR IF ONE LOOKS AT ONE VERY IMPORTANT CHINA.
THE CHINESE ARE GOING FULL BLAST FOR EVs (ELECTRICAL VEHICLES AND LATER AUTONOMOUS (DRIVERLESS) VEHICLES AND THEY ARE ELECTRIFYING THE WHOLE COUNTRY
COPPER PRICES WILL GO UP.
MOPANI SHOULD BE STOCKPILING COPPER AND SELL WHEN THE PRICES ARE RIGH FOR THEM.
TO GOVERNMENT: IF GLENCORE /MOPANI ARE STUBBORN THEN GIVE THEIR MINES TO THE CHINESE WHO ARE WAITING IN THE WINGS TO TAKE OVER TOMORROW!!
MEANWHILE hh AND HIS COHORTS ARE SMILING FROM EAR TO EAR
THIS IS WHAT A LOCKDOWN LOOKS LIKE
SHAME ON UPNDEAD
In a time of automation and robotics.Black labor is no longer needed.Peter Carlos Hinds.
It is cheaper to put a machine to do this type of work.A machine that will not strike.Take a lunch break.Or go home at night.Than to give a negro the same job.Peter Carlos Hinds.
ZAMBIA FIRSTÂ
You run a country on prudent , sound economic policies with integrity and rule of law to build your reserves incase of times like this……..
Is it UPNDs fault that Zambia is being run like a tarven ?
Well done Spaka, please educate & tell this Cadre Belly !mb3cile aka Zambia First to open his eyes, keep his filthy trap FIRMLY SHUT & learn to analyse issues rather than use his Covid infested Gluteus Maximus to reason, the f©©lish myopic Front Patriotic Cadre.