By ROGERS KALERO
PAVYUMA Kalobo has branded mine workers unions sellouts who have betrayed miners’ interests and by concentrating on securing contracts from the mining companies at the expense of negotiating for better conditions of service for miners who are now wallowing in poverty and hunger.
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Mr Kalobo, the Patriotic Front (PF) Wusakile Member of Parliament is demanding that mine workers unions should choose between being trade union leaders or mine suppliers and contractors so that their roles could assigned to other caring citizens.
In an interview, Mr Kalobo said mine workers unions were not only sellouts, but had also played double-standards over the scandal of Vedanta Resources, stating that after petitioning the previous government to have the Anil Agarwal conglomerate exit KCM, the same mine workers unions advocated its return of the same investor under the UPND government
Mr Kalobo said the sandal of Vedanta Resources had exposed the mine workers unions because they were now stuck and did not know what to tell their members after the Mines and Mineral Development Minister announced that the Vedanta deal was verbal
“The mine workers unions are sell-outs because they played double-standards. The same unions petitioned the PF government to remove Vedanta Resources from KCM, but under the UPND government, the same unions advocated for the return of the same investor. Their double-standards have left them stuck and wondering what to tell their members.”
“Mine workers unions have nothing much to say on this issue because some of them are contractors and suppliers in some mining companies and so they are compromised. These mine workers unions must choose between being trade union leaders or businessmen. They have betrayed miners,’’ Mr Kalobo said
Mr Kalobo said mine workers unions should concentrate on negotiating for better conditions of service for miners and proper remuneration packages to motivate them for increased production
He said miners had lost the pride of their unions because of the ravaging poverty and hunger due to second-rate salary increments from some foreign investors running the mines
“The unions are failing to negotiate for better packages of their members because most of them are compromised due to the contracts which are given by some mining companies. Unions must reject mediocre salary increments and demand for better packages.”
“Am a son of a former miner and I can tell you that during the time of ZCCM , there was no poverty and hunger in mine townships such as we are seeing today. This time there is hunger in the mine townships,’’ Mr Kalobo said
On Saturday, National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) president Saul Simujika said it was disappointing to the mine workers unions and the miners in general to be told that the deal between Vedanta Resources Plc and government was verbal after several assurances that the deal had been sealed and it was a matter of time before the Asian Investor could normalise operations at the giant KCM
Mr Simujika said the mine workers unions had been meeting the Mines and Mineral Development Minister Paul Kabuswe who has been assuring them that the issue of KCM has been resolved after sealing a deal with Vedanta Resources Plc which had promised to recapitalise the mine, but it was disappointing to be told that the deal was verbal
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