Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) plc has recorded a month-long, without experiencing injuries among its employees in January this year , the first-time that such a feat has been achieved in a company which employs 20 000 workers including over 9 000 contracted labour.
KCM management said in a press statement that the record was impressive considering that 70 percent of its workforce is involved in underground operations where the risk factor is high.
However, employees have ridiculed the impressive performance claiming that management was failing to address their affairs and improving the standard of the mine.
The mine is among the largest private-sector employer in Zambia, is owned by London-listed FTSE 100 mining and metals major Vedanta Resources, with operations in Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe.
A state-of-the-art smelter, two concentrators, refinery and tailings leach plant (TLP) are among its major assets, along with the multi-million dollar Konkola Deep Mining Project (KDMP) currently under development in Chililabombwe.
The statement says that the company-wide January safety record comes on the back of two recent impressive departmental performances.
It stated that last year, the 3 500 staff at the Nchanga Under-Ground (NUG) went on a six-month run without a lost-time injury while the Konkola underground team of 6 170, has just gone four months without lost time.
KCM recently became the first mining operation in Africa to be awarded three stars under the British Safety Council’s Five-Star rating system. It was the company’s first attempt at the rating which is one step away from the Sword of Honour, the ultimate accolade in global safety standards.
The statement reaffirmed that in 2009; the company was awarded the International Safety Award by the BSC and won the Zambia Federation of Employers’ top award for the Best Safety and Occupational Health Policy in Zambia.
The company also holds OHSAS 18001 certification for occupational health and safety and ISO 14001 for environmental management while the recently-commissioned Nchanga smelter was recently awarded ISO 9001-2008 certification at the first attempt.
But, despite the improvement in safety management, the scenario on the ground is different as Lusakatimes investigations at the mine revealed that the workforce was dissatisfied with the way management was handling the workers affairs.
The workers talked to revealed that the standards at the mine have drastically gone down as compared to the days when Anglo-America was still in operation.
They said management has only concentrated on the smelter, two concentrators and has foregone all the major activities that could ensure the smooth running of the mine.
The workers noted that Chingola town is now dirt and have dilapidated roads despite the huge profits that KCM is reaping and the company was failing to maintain the roads that even leads to its own mining plant.
Lusakatimes, have discovered that management especially those from the Indian origin built themselves a complex where they live while the Zambian workers were left to look for their own accommodation.
The workers disclosed that KCM top management also frustrated Augustine Seyuba who was the Corporate Affairs manager and resulted in his resignation a situation that saddened most employees who were happy with his management skills.
“The impression the outsiders get is that KCM is performing well when in fact performance have gone down. Yes they are making huge but management is not replacing any damaged equipment and relies on what it found,” they said.
Thats what you get for voting MMD. Wait till sata comes along. We are going back to the days of glory in the mines.
KCM is being run the INDIAN way! executive management consists of Accountants only, not even a Mining/ Metallurgical Engineer but you have 36year old Mechanical Engineer as a Director of Operations! with what experience? Honestly the mines are not being run as mines as we or the western world knows them! The INDIANS want to change the business culture of Zambian companies where you negotiate everything including the most ridiculous things, worse still you negotiate to get your money. The INDIANS have destroyed the Copperbelt, because 75% of the businesses that support the mines have ground to a halt and have huge debts with local banks and other lending institutions. Unfortunately the window dressing we are seeing in the media is very frustrating and shows how our leaders are unconcerned!!
@yahoo.com says #1 You are right, the Mines cried wolf when the global recession hit us. They went en-mass taking advantage to prune Zambians. Now the copper price has bounced back. What do we see, No reward to the Zed wokers. No re-employment of pruned staff nor massive recruitment of locals. What we are seeing instead is the turning of Zambia as dumping ground for Indians and Chinese migrant cheap labour who in their coutries would be sweeping the streets and delivering fritters on bicycles. EIZ can you monitor this or you twice heavily compromised.
Today the price of copper went even higher as Chile was struck by earthquake. The demand is outstripping supply.Chilean copper mines will be out of commission for some time and the worlds major source will be Zambia. But what will the Zambians benefit from this? nothing. no employing of more pipo, no ontime payment of suppliers and contractors. Zero and a slap in the face for our own minerals.
KCM has really gone the Dogs and they are busy sucking up everything from the Mine and the employees. Imagine bringing expatriate in the Accounts dept. and human resources as if we don’t have qualified Zambians. Also in the maintenance department very big discrepancies where an Indian Company On –Shore invoices US $ 54,000.00 every month for only nine labourers while if it’s a Zambian its only US $ 2000 what a big difference and 100% fraudulent practice from our fellow Indians. These guys are stealing in broad day light and the Government is busy sleeping. I would like to edge RB and his team to walk up and Audit these bastards. It’s very dishearten for a qualified Zambian engineer to go home with K3.5m while an India with less experience go home with K35million kwacha per…
comments noted guys – my dissapointment is zambians continue to be racist in commentary. i would expect better for brethren living in the diaspora but we have this anti indian attitude. i am sad that the indians i grew up with in luanshya and lusaka migrated en masse. i guess they were the smart ones but we as a nation have lost out.