Indeni Petroleum Refinery workers in Ndola have threatened to protest if government does not pay them their benefits.
The workers who spoke on condition of being anonymous said they will have no choice but to protest if government does not pay them their redundancy packages by today.
“According to the labour laws of Zambia,when somone is declared redundant the maximum period on which he or she is supposed to be paid their dued is 60 days and for us it matures today. Anything outside that date triggers mass demonstrations,one former employee said.
“We are prepared to go to the street as of August 31st ,if government delays more on paying us and we are not joking about this because all is set, accordingly and within the confines of the Zambian Law” they said.
The workers have also blamed Indeni management and their national union leadership highly for not being proactive to sort out their matters.
“Management does not know how to communicate with its employees for updates and we even stopped getting paid but no word from managing director updating on the current status” other workers said .
“So we hear that Mr Evance Mauta The managing director is in Texas USA leaving us in Limbo not knowing the fate to our redundancy pay and this deepens our feeling of being negleted by this MD the national union leadership and the Goverment at large,” they said.
The workers further said government has been changing goal posts on the ssue.
“We heard and watched when the supplementaly budget was approved as Bwana Mukubwa member of Parliament Warren Mwambazi who boasted and said ‘ Indeni Go to sleep its deal done and your money will be ready 1st week August,” they said.
MWEBANTU
