Minister of Labour, Peter Dimba, on Tuesday called for favourable working conditions for mine workers in the country to enable them to live decent lives.
The Minister made the remarks when he visited Kaziwiziwi Coal Mine in Rumphi District to assess working conditions for miners.
He said mining is a lucrative industry which earns investors in the sector huge profits, and it is only fair for workers to have a fair share of the profits to which they contribute so much to be realized.
He also said that while the mine is doing well in other areas, there were some worrying findings that need to be addressed urgently at the mine.
“We have noticed some violations at this mine. There are challenges to personal protective equipment [PPEs]. Most of the miners we met did not have proper gumboots, gloves and masks to protect them from coal dust, which can cause tuberculosis. Some are sharing gumboots which is unacceptable.
“We also discovered that they do not provide for resting time. The law provides for one hour of resting time. They do not have that here. It’s unfortunate. Mining is labour-intensive and workers need a break to rest,” said Dimba.
He further said that his officers will be following up with the mine to ensure that the identified flaws are addressed including fair wages and ensuring that there are proper structures in place for workers claiming compensation after getting injured on duty.
He added that the basic pay of K112,000 for many of the miners is too low and needs to be addressed urgently.
Acting Manager for the mine, Befos Chakaka Nyirenda said his company will look into the issues the minister identified and find ways of addressing them.
“We have been struggling recently because there is currently water under Section 20 of the mine. We have not been operating since November last year and this has affected revenue flow. There is little money coming in.
“However, we will address the PPE issue within the next two weeks to ensure that our workers are protected. On compensation, there have been some delays in processing paperwork for them, but once that is done by the Labour Office, compensation will be paid,” said Nyirenda.
There are currently 270 employees at Kaziwiziwi Coal Mine.
