Zambia Maamba Coal Miners Threaten Strike Over Pay -Union

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Laf1986

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Message Mar 15 Sep 2009 17:11

Zambia Maamba Coal Miners Threaten Strike Over Pay -Union

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Workers at Zambia's largest coal producer, Maamba Collieries, have threatened to go on strike next week over unpaid salaries, union officials said Tuesday.

The workers have not been paid for the past four months which is causing labor unrest at the mine, said Oswell Munyenyembe, the general secretary of the Minerworkers Union of Zambia. Until last year, Maamba was the largest supplier of coal to Zambia's copper and cobalt mines.

The colliery has been dogged by mining disruptions since last year hampering output. As a result copper mines secured coal from foreign suppliers, which left Maamba with no customers.

Last month, Maamba management asked the government to ban coal imports to protect it from collapsing. However, most copper mines continue to import coal from regional producers from Botswana and Zimbabwe.

According to union officials, management is expected to hold talks with workers this week to avert the strike.

Company officials could not comment immediately.

The Zambian government owns Maamba Collieries through its mining company, Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investments Holdings, or ZCCM-IH.

In March, ZCCM-IH announced that Singapore-based Nava Bharat, had won a bid to acquire a stake in Maamba but the final deal has not been concluded.

-By Nicholas Bariyo, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires; +256 75 262 4615; bariyonic@yahoo.co.uk [ 09-15-09 0627ET ]

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Message Mar 15 Sep 2009 22:59

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Zambie Maamba Coal Miners Strike menacent Plus de Pay-Union
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Les travailleurs de la Zambie, le plus grand producteur de charbon, mines de charbon Maamba, ont menacé de faire grève la semaine prochaine, plus de salaires impayés, les responsables syndicaux ont affirmé mardi.

Les travailleurs n'ont pas été payés depuis quatre mois, ce qui provoque des conflits sociaux à la mine, a déclaré Oswell Munyenyembe, le secrétaire général de l'Union Minerworkers de la Zambie. Jusqu'à l'année dernière, Maamba était le principal fournisseur de charbon pour le cuivre en Zambie et les mines de cobalt.

Le charbonnage a été miné par des perturbations minière depuis l'année dernière qui entravent la production. Que les mines de cuivre d'un résultat garanti charbon à des fournisseurs étrangers, ce qui laissait Maamba sans clients.

Le mois dernier, Maamba direction a demandé au gouvernement d'interdire les importations de charbon pour le protéger de s'effondrer. Toutefois, la plupart des mines de cuivre de continuer à importer du charbon en provenance de producteurs régionaux en provenance du Botswana et du Zimbabwe.

Selon les responsables syndicaux, la direction devrait tenir des entretiens avec les travailleurs de cette semaine pour éviter la grève.

Responsables de la compagnie ne pouvait pas commenter immédiatement.

Le gouvernement zambien est propriétaire de mines de charbon Maamba intermédiaire de sa société minière, la Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investments Holdings, ou ZCCM-IH.

En Mars, ZCCM-IH a annoncé que, basé à Singapour Nava Bharat, avait remporté une enchère pour acquérir une participation dans Maamba mais l'accord final n'a pas été conclu.

-By Nicholas Bariyo, contribuant à Dow Jones Newswires; +256 75 262 4615; bariyonic@yahoo.co.uk [09-15-09 0627ET]

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Message Mar 29 Sep 2009 17:56

Miners down tools and demand salary arrears

Miners down tools and demand salary arrears

* Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 16:34

Maamba Collieries (MCL) miners have downed tools demanding payment of their four months salary arrears.

Speaking during a meeting with the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) representatives outside the MCL offices the workers who sought anonymity declared that they would only resume work once management has paid them their four months salary arrears.

The workers said the memo that management wrote to them indicated that the sales of coal has improved yet the company has failed to pay them their salary arrears and Oriental Quarries the contractor that was mining coal on behalf of MCL.

They charged that MCL Managing Director Stephen Mutambo has failed to address the pressing issues that were affecting workers.

The issues included the payment of two salary arrears within two weeks last month that management failed to honour, the firing of the company’s Human resource manager Mr Simwele for being insensitive to the workers plights.

Mr. Mutambo is alleged to have told the workers that Mr Simwale had given up his position when he in fact was still working from MCL’s Lusaka office.

The workers lamented that their families were starving a situation that made them ashamed to be called miners in the township.

They demanded that government should also constitute a team of ministers to look into the problems affecting MCL as was the case with other ailing mines in Luanshya and Albidon Nickel mine in Mazabuka.

The workers also wondered why the Zambia Consolidated Cooper Mine Investment Holding (ZCCM-IH) has pulled out when government gave them 100 percent shares to run the mine.

MUZ Secretary for Maamba condemned the ZCCM-IH decision to pull out from supporting the mine when they have invested a lot of money in the Company.

Maamba Union Chairperson Evans Moyo assured the workers that he would present their grievances to the MCL management.
MCL Head of industrial relations and Administration Jethro Sikalunda urged workers management time to look into their grievances.

http://www.lusakatimes.com/?p=18385
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Message Mer 30 Sep 2009 14:12

Re: Zambia Maamba Coal Miners Threaten Strike Over Pay -Union

DJ UPDATE: Zambia Maamba Coal Miners Strike Over Salaries -Union

Sep 30, 2009 (Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex) --

(Adds copper mines impact, takeover details.)

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Workers at Zambia's largest coal mine, Maamba Collieries Ltd. are on strike to press for payment of four months of salary arrears, union officials said Wednesday.

The strikers will only end their action after being paid the wages they are owed, Evans Moyo, the Miners' Union of Zambia secretary in charge of Maamba Collieries, said.

"We shall continue to press management to address the grievances of workers," Moyo added.

Maamba Coal management could not comment immediately.

Maamba is the leading domestic supplier of coal to copper and cobalt mines in Zambia.

Miners can no longer afford to look after their families because of the delay in salary payments, the union officials said.

An official with Zambia's state mining company, Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Ltd., or ZCCM-IH, said that the mine continued to experience financial problems because of reduced coal demand in Zambia blamed on cheap coal imports.

Maamba Collieries has been embroiled in a number of labor disputes with its workers in the past two years, which have hampered mining operations.

The government decided to hand over the mine to ZCCM-IH last year to revive its operations.

Since 2008, ZCCM-IH has been providing the mine workers salaries, but early this year when mining operations stabilized the state mining company asked Maamba management to secure customers for its coal to enable it meet its obligations.

Since ZCCM-IH stopped paying the miners, the management has cited low coal demand and not paid the workers, according to ZCCM-IH officials. In June, ZCCM-IH said it had reached an agreement with India-based Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd. (513023.BY) over the purchase of a 65% stake in Maamba in order to revive mining operations.

Nava Bharat is expected to invest up to $550 million in the mine, which will involve reviving mining operations and building a 350 megawatt thermal power plant at the mine to ease the current power shortage in the country. Nava Bharat is expected to take over the mine before the end of the year.

An official with Konkola Copper Mines told Dow Jones Newswires that coal supplies to copper mines are not expected to be affected because most mines import coal from countries like Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The mines opted for foreign suppliers last year, following several mining disruptions at Maamba.

Company officials have asked the government to ban cheap coal imports to protect local producers. Maamba has the capacity to produce up to 600,000 metric tons of coal a year but has been operating below capacity in the past couple of years.

The mine also exports coal to Congo's copper-rich Katanga province, located just across Zambia's northern border.

-By Nicholas Bariyo, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires; +256 75 262 4615; bariyonic@yahoo.co.uk

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=107650729

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