By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
THE United Mineworkers Union of Zambia (UMUZ) has called for calm among miners in view of the current economic challenges that have threatened jobs in the mining sector.
More than 1,600 miners at Baluba Mine have been sent on forced leave after the mine was placed under care and maintenance, while Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) has initiated the process of declaring redundant more than 4,000 miners.
UMUZ president Wisdom Ngwira said the unions were actively engaging management at MCM over the matter of job cuts as such, employees needed to remain calm.
Mr Ngwira said this in a statement yesterday.
He was aware of the anxiety the announcement by MCM of its intention to lay off 4, 000 miners had caused but that the unions and management have engaged in consultation over the issue.
As such, all MCM employees and other miners in other mining houses needed to remain calm while efforts by all the stakeholders including Government, unions and management of various mining houses were being made to explore ways of mitigating the impact of economic challenges.
“We are aware of the anxiety this may have caused to the employees, but our advice as unions is that they should remain calm, and work normally since the unions have engaged management in discussions over the issue,” he said.
To this effect, Mr Ngwira said there was need for now to halt any speculation about the issue of redundancies at MCM until such a time when management and the unions would come up with the final decision.