By Kausa Mbasela

Grizzly Mining Limited, Mine-Workers Union of Zambia MUZ) and National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) have penned a collective agreement granting unonised workers 13.5% salary increase.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at Baluba Game Resort in Luanshya Thursday, Group vice chairman, Abdoul Ba, in a speech read on his behalf by General Manager Projects, Barbara Shilengwe said the company is alive to the fact that increased morale of the workers is a major driver of the mine.

“My fellow workers, I would have loved to increase more but the situation on the ground could not allow due to economic and business challenges hence the one thousand three hundred Kwacha (K1, 300) – 13.5 percent increase across the board.

“This is to mitigate some of the economic problems which you may be going through. We have also increased hardship allowance to four (4 percent) and education allowance to one thousand two hundred Kwacha (K1, 200),” he said.

Mr. Ba added that through the collective effort, Grizzly Group has been able to maintain steady growth in all area of operations, a good sign of things to come, further pledging to support the New Dawn administration and adhere to fair work place practices and social justice.

And Group Human Resources Manager, Victor Mpundu said the agreement was a reflection of the company’s commitment to keeping the workforce motivated.

“We have maintained competitive wages that have positioned us as one of the leading employers in the mining sector. The wage increment announced today will undoubtedly enhance the standard of living for our employees, further solidifying our belief in the importance of fair compensation for the work our people put in,” he said.

Mr. Mpundu reiterated Grizzly Mining’s commitment to earning the trust of its various stakeholders adding that the focus was to continue responding to not only the needs of the employees but alleviate poverty, tackle unemployment, improve health outcomes and raise the standard of living for local communities.

Meanwhile speaking for both unions, MUZ president, Joseph Chewe thanked the mine for a track record of consistently paying it’s workers.

“Grizzly pays workers monthly. We haven’t had any work stoppage because of unpaid salaries at the mine. This is very fertile given the volatility of the mining sector,” he said.

Mr. Chewe further thanked the mine and unions for concluding the negotiations in time and drawing an acceptable conclusion.

“The figures are not the best but are ideal given the tough economic situation. We have learned lessons through dialogue and I urge the unions to work with management to find common ground,” he said.

And giving a vote of thanks, MUZ branch chairman, John Ndlobvu extolled Grizzly Mining for meeting the union’s demands for higher salaries.

“I thank management for listening to our appeal but please ensure the workforce remains motivated. To my fellow workers, let us work hard to increase the production numbers,” he said.

Grizzly owns and operates the Grizzly emerald mines in Zambia’s mineral rich Copperbelt Province.
The company has produced some of the world’s largest high-grade emeralds.