China in Africa
Zambia
- Chambishi Mine – Explosion 2005, Protest 2006 and strike 2008
The most notorious example of Chinese labour standards in Africa is the events surrounding copper mine in Zambia.
In 1998 the China State owned China Non-Ferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co bought Copper Mine in Chambishi, Zambia. The wages and conditions of employees were substandard, with Zambian employees being paid less than minimum wage and union activity prohibited.: See In Africa, China’s Expansion 5 February 2007 ;www.haiguinet.com /bbs/viewtopic.php?p =1078139 at 5 February 2007
On same site, a related company Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. (BGRIMM), set up a factory to manufacture cheap explosives for mining. In April 2005 an explosion from BGRIMM killed approx 50 Zambian workers :(See www.china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZ3SBYTO; Shacinda, S: Chinese labour policies mar African Welcome, 9 August 2006 www.today.reuters.com /misc .; and See McGreal, C: Thanks China, now go home:buy-up of Zambia revives old colonial fears, The Guardian, Lusaka, 5 February 2007. www.guardian.co.uk/china/stor/0,,2005902,00.html
The Chinese government paid compensation of about $10 000 per killed employee.
Following these tragic events, the company swayed to public pressure not deny union involvement any longer. The Zambia’s National Union of Miners and Allied Workers set up at the mine and commenced collective negotiations.
However, the Company continued to employ workers on substandard conditions. On 24 July 2006, when employees not paid as expected – miners on night shift stopped work, vandalized equipment and beat up the Chinese supervisor. Day shift blocked main road in Chambishi. As scuffle broke out at picket line near mine – security fired at protester, wounding him. About 40 employees headed for residential compound of Chinese employees. Chinese supervisor fired on approaching crowd. Four employees hit and wounded. Chinese supervisor left Zambia the next day. The wounded employees were fired.
China recently announced an invest $20 million into crude copper smelting plant at Chambishi. President Hu planned visit the site during his February tour. However, the visit was cancelled in the light of planned protests by miners and families. See In Africa, China’s Expansion 5 February 2007 ;www.haiguinet.com /bbs/viewtopic.php?p =1078139 at 5 February 2007
2008 Update
Workers Strike in early 2008 - return to work afetr negoiations
About 500 workers at a Chinese-owned copper smelter in Zambia returned to work on Tuesday after deciding to end a strike over pay and benefits, a union official said. "The strike has ended, but we are not sure if they have struck a deal," said Albert Mando, general secretary of the National Union of Mining and Allied Workers (Numaw), which is trying to unionise the smelter's employees.
The employees of Chambishi Smelter, which is due to start processing copper from the Chambishi copper mine by August, walked off the job last week to back their demands for better wages and holiday and transport allowances.
The striking workers had blocked the main road leading to the smelter in Chambishi, 400 km north of the capital of Lusaka, to prevent Zambian and Chinese managers from entering the plant and vowed not to return until their demands were met. The strike was the latest in a wave of industrial unrest in Zambia's restive copper belt region.
Chambishi Smelter, which will cost more than $200-million to construct, is part of China's planned $900-million investment in the mining town of Chambishi, which the government has turned into a tax free economic zone to attract Chinese investment.
[Mining Weekly 9 January 2008]
- Zambian miners say that Chinese Companies have lower pay and working conditions, including lower occupational health and safety standards, than other foreign companies. See McGreal, C: Thanks China, now go home:buy-up of Zambia revives old colonial fears, The Guardian, Lusaka, 5 February 2007. www.guardian.co.uk/china/stor/0,,2005902,00.html
- China is the biggest buyer of Zambia’s tobacco (ZWNEWS.com 5.9.07)
- . In June 2006 the Zambian Government shut down Collum Coal Mining Industries Ltd in South Zambia on the grounds that miners had been forced to work underground without safety clothing and boots. Shacinda, S: Chinese labour policies mar African Welcome, 9 August 2006 www.today.reuters.com /misc and See McGreal, C: Thanks China, now go home:buy-up of Zambia revives old colonial fears, The Guardian, Lusaka, 5 February 2007. www.guardian.co.uk/china/stor/0,,2005902,00.html
- Workers in Chinese mines getting paid as little as $100 a month – compared to lowest paid miner at the Konkola Copper Mines, Zambia’s largest producer, earns $424 monthly. Shacinda, S: Chinese labour policies mar African Welcome, 9 August 2006 www.today.reuters.com /misc .
- According to the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) president Rayford Mbulu, foreign companies are taking advantage of the lack of protection for casual workers. Until you are a permanent employee you are nto entitled to medial benefits, housing and tranasport allowance. You are permanent after six months continuous service. However, many employees are fired befoe the six months is up. "It all starts with their employment policy. The Chinese and Indian mines are employing people on [short-term] contracts and, in some cases, Zambian workers are forced to sign forms before going underground to declare that they are working at their own risk, so that there would no compensation in case of an accident." “Zambians wary of ‘exploitative’ Chinese employers’ , IRIN, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=61640 at 3 May 2007.
- On 15 July 2005, workers at a number of mines went on strike for pay increase including the miners from the Chinese owned Chambishi mine as well as miners from Chiilabombwe and Konkola Copper Mines in Chililabombwe and the KCM Nchanga mine in Chingola and to the Chinese-owned Chambishi mine. Police restrained workers with tear and arrested 31 mineworkers after the demonstration in Chililabombe. They also told the media that they had organised a police-hunt for more strikers.: From ICFTU ‘Annual Survey 2006 of violations of trade union rights’ http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223902&Language=EN –
Chinese owned textile Company in Zambia also has a lackluster history. China funded the building of Zambia China Mulungushi Textiles and provide expertise to run it. Mulungushi Textiles was the biggest mill in country.
In 2004 Zambian government asked Chinese managers at Zambia-China Mulungushi textiles Ltd in northern Kabwe, to stop locking workers in the factory at night: Shacinda, S: Chinese labour policies mar African Welcome, 9 August 2006 www.today.reuters.com /misc .
However, in January this year it shut down production because of flood of cheap goods: ‘Thanks China, now go home: buy-up of Zambia revives old colonial fears’ 5 February 2007. www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2005902,00.html.
Early February “workers of the Zambia- China Mulungushi Textiles, the country’s largest textile mill, protested outside the Chinese embassy to complain about poor wages, mistreatment and the temporary closure of the plant because of massive losses” South China Morning Post 5 February 2007 –www.china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZ6EQETOXE.html
Supervisors all Chinese. Also reported claims that underpayment of wages. Employs 400 Zambians and 35 Chinese
“Among the Zambians sceptical of the possible job opportunities is Richard Mwanza, a full-time salesman in a Chinese grocer's shop in the capital, Lusaka. "Chinese investment is not meant to improve our lives, we are working for nothing," he alleged. "We are not allowed to go for lunch every day, and yet we only get 180,000 Kwacha [$40] every month. We are not given any transport or housing allowance.".”
”But according to Sata, Chinese businesses employ relatively few Zambians. "Our Chinese don't bring in any equipment or create any sensible employment. In fact, to every Zambian in a Chinese company, there are about 15 Chinese. I have done my intelligence research and it is devastating to know that all Chinese companies are paying an average of $50 per month to Zambian employees."
”Musiyalela Sitali, a marketing and investment promotion manager at the Zambia Investment Centre, commented, "Chinese investment has been increasing over the years and, at the moment, we have a total of 145 Chinese projects running in Zambia. These registered Chinese companies have brought in over $378 million in capital investment commitments and created more than 10,000 jobs for Zambians" over the last 13 years”.
”An estimated 80,000 Chinese are resident in Zambia. Besides the businesses registered by the Investment Centre, there are thousands of unregistered ones, and with Hu's resolution to double his country's investment in Africa, more are expected to spring up.”
Salaries in Zambia are marginally higher than in Sierra Leone and Tanzania, although less than in Angola. The average salary for unskilled casual labour is US$1.50-2.00 a day. (November 2006, China’s Interest and Activity in Africa’s Construction and Infrastructure Sectors, Centre for Chinese Studies Stellenbosch University)
Click here for the ITUC's Annual Survey of violations of trade union rights.
|
