Govt suspends operations at Sino China Mining in Chongwe
By ANDREW MUKOMA
OPERATIONS at Sino China Mining Limited in Chongwe District have been suspended because of non-compliance with Labour and Employment Laws.
On December 27, 2021, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security conducted an inspection at the company which revealed a lot of irregularities ranging from poor safety measures to non-issuance of written contracts of employment to workers. In the wake of these findings, the company was directed to remedy the contraventions by or before January 10, 2022.
However, to that end, a follow-up inspection was conducted which revealed non-compliance with the guidelines given on December 27, 2021.
It is against this background that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through the Office of the Lusaka Provincial Assistant Labour Commissioner invoked section 10 (5) of the Employment Code Act No. 3 of 2019 to suspend further works at the mining company until it complies.
The Ministry also reported the deplorable safety standards of the mining company to the Department of Mines safety under the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development for further safety audits.
This is contained in a statement released to the Daily Nation, signed by LabourCommissioner Givens Muntengwa.
