By NCHIMUNYA MIYOBA
About 229 workers at Zambia’s biggest Cobalt plant Chambishi metals will lose their jobs this month end as management decides to put the company on care maintenance for two years.
The Mineworkers Union of Zambia announced that 229 workers at Chambishi Metals will be retrenched following a decision by management to put the company on care and maintenance owing to the fact the company has failed to secure imported feed stock.
Speaking during a press briefing in Kitwe this morning MUZ president Joseph Chewe announced that 29 workers will be retained during the care and maintenance period and has called the pending closure as regrettable despite prolonged negotiations with the Union not to close the company.
“The closure of the company is unfortunate for the union. It is a regrettable situation for the community of Chambishi that depend on the company for their livelihood.
MUZ and Chambishi metals management have been meeting with a view to compel the owners of Chambishi metals not to shut down operations but unfortunately they insisted,” he said.
And Mr Chewe has called on government to consider revoking the mining license and find a capable investor to run the company profitably stating that putting the company on a two years care and maintenance period is too long.
He said the owners of Chambishi Metals Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) have failed to run company as it is not the first time they have put it on care and maintenance since it took over operations of the company.
“The view of the union is that ERG has failed to run the plant. The plant has been closed several times since they took over operations. They should surrender the license to government who will find a capable investor to run the company to avoid further job losses,” he added.
He announced that the affected workers will be paid their dues as negotiated by the union and management adding that the union is aware that most of the workers got loans from the banks and might not get all the money.
