By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM) employees have been awarded K400 as supplement allowance to cushion their hardship in view of the current financial challenges being faced by the mining giant.
The K400 supplement allowance follows the successful signing of the 2014 collective agreement between KCM management and the three mine unions.
KCM signed the agreement with Mine-workers Union of Zambia (MUZ), National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) and the United Mine-workers Union of Zambia (UMUZ).
The supplement allowance, which is a stand alone, would run from January 1, this year until the signing of the next collective agreement.
KCM acting vice-president human capital management Prudence Chisakuta said management and the unions had been noble during the negotiations for improved pay and that the spirit of ‘give-and-take’ ruled at the end of the day.
She was speaking at the signing ceremony held at Nkana Flats in Kitwe yesterday.
She said this was so because KCM was currently going through a challenging financial position.
‘‘I am glad that our leaders in the unions have understood the challenges and so have the employees,’’ she said.
Ms Chisakuta said management had already outlined measures to employees which it expected to implement in the current financial year to turn around the economic fortunes of the company and hoped that employees would respond positively to perform their part.
She said in the spirit of give and take, all the parties had gained from the negotiations and called for concerted efforts from everyone in ensuring that KCM remained afloat, while securing jobs as well.
MUZ president Nkole Chishimba, who spoke on behalf of other unions, said this was not the best of agreements but that under the circumstance, it indicated that KCM management and workers had the capacity to resolve matters pertaining to employees’ conditions even under difficult conditions.
Mr Chishimba said there was no doubt that KCM and its parent company Vedantta Resources had attracted global attention questioning its existence and future and that the negativity was being felt locally.
He said in view of that, a lot of work had to be done for the company to regain a reliable image, adding that as KCM employees, their expectation was to see a clearly defined the future of the company’s operations with tangible bench marks.