It is reported that China, one of Zambia’s key cooperating partners reiterated its commitment to ensure its nationals operating businesses in the Southern African nation follow labor laws of the country and pay local employees better salaries than their own people.
Mr Zhou Yuxiao Chinese ambassador to Zambia said that most Chinese companies follow local labor laws and pay their employees better salaries than some Zambian companies in a major twist of events as labour tensions at companies owned by Chinese business houses escalate. Most of them Chinese employers maybe about 90% observe the Zambian laws including those on tax and import and export. And we pay better salaries to local staff than some Zambian companies.”
Mr Wang Hongyu his political officer of Mr Zhou at the embassy in Lusaka was reacting to remarks attributed to him through various media reports that Chinese companies follow labor laws and pay their workers better than some Zambian companies. The reaction comes in the wake of the work stoppages in different parts of the country recently involving different companies, including Chinese owned, over poor conditions of service.
Recently workers at the Chinese owned Sino Metals, a unit of China Non Ferrous Metals Africa Corporation chambishi mine staged a two week protest demanding improved wages and other conditions of service which they claimed was far less than USD 400 they needed.
The company 150,000 tonnes copper concentrate processing smelter subsequently lost an estimated USD 4 million during the work stoppage, leading to the dismissal of more than 2,000 of its 3,000 workers. They have all been reinstated after a tripartite meeting involving the union, government and the mine management for the sake of industrial harmony.
However, some Zambians working for Chinese companies or shops in Lusaka’s Kamwala area dismissed the envoy’s claims of better perks saying they remain under paid and sometimes overworked or plainly abused by their Chinese supervisors. They contended that the Chinese run companies flouted labor laws including paying most of the workers meager salaries, describing most of the employers of Chinese origin as being difficult. They claimed they were being paid a paltry USD 30 to USD 40 per month.
Recently President Michael Sata directed his government to review the minimum wage of USD 86 which according to reports, most of the Chinese employers revised to a paltry ZMK 300,000 and ZMK 50,000 despite the huge profits generated from businesses conducted in the country.
Recently Mr Wylbur Simuusa mines minister of Zambia regretted the increased industrial discontent in most working places especially in the mining industry with a call to the companies to consider renumerating workers with wages and conditions of service that will promote increased productivity.
(Filed by Mr Kapembwa Sinkamba SteelGuru Correspondent Zambia)
