Chanda roots for locals
Written by Millennium on August 12, 2019
NCHIMUNYA CHIDAKWA writes
COPPERBELT Patriotic Front (PF) provincial chairman Nathan Chanda has urged Government to ensure Mopani Copper Mine (MCM) does not discriminate against local contractors in preference for foreign firms.
Mopani has terminated contracts for some local companies leaving over 500 people jobless.
Mr Chanda asked Government to scrutinise the foreign contractors and suppliers at Mopani.
He said in statement he was saddened by reports he had received that local contractors were being sidelined and their contracts terminated, consequently losing their jobs while the company was awarding expatriates contracts and employing expatriates.
Mr Chanda said he wanted to make it clear that any attempt to send the local people onto the streets would not be accepted.
He said he was aware that Mopani had many expatriate workers, some of whom had overstayed in Zambia at the expense of local contractors.
“We cannot allow a situation where those contractors who are “friends” of Mopani expatriates are paid five times or more than the local ones over the same job. That is uncalled for and we will not condone such behaviour from Mopani.
“We want to put the interests of local contractors first. Expatriates, when they come, must be able to transfer skills to locals at the end of their contracts,” Mr Chanda said.
Mopani expatriates did not mean well for the people of the Copperbelt.
He said Mopani should nor arm-twist the government.
“We cannot have contractors doing the same work but paid differently. It does not make sense even if it is a way of externalising money out of our economy,” Mr Chanda said.
Government had created a conducive environment for investors but they should not misconstrue the good will as a sign of weakness.
Mopani should rescind its decision and should not go the Konkola Copper Mine way of frustrating Government and the people of Kitwe and Mufulira.
Mr Chanda said the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Home Affairs working and the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to carry out a thorough investigation on the qualifications of the expatriates at Mopani and help the mining company to come up with structures that would not disadvantage Zambians.
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