Union intervenes to release mineworkers from Covid-19 quarantine camp3 June, 2020Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) recently intervened to end a month-long Covid-19 quarantine, in which workers lived in a makeshift camp at Chambishi mine on the copper belt.
Unions campaign for decent work in artisanal and small-scale mining 1 September, 2022Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Sub Saharan Africa is largely informal with over 13 million, mainly youth, working in the informal mines. In Zambia, ASM extracts cobalt, copper, gold, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, tin, zinc, nickel, and precious stones while in Ghana the main mineral is gold.
Gender audits in Zambia and Zimbabwe to protect women’s rights at work28 January, 2021A number of IndustriALL affiliates in Zambia and Zimbabwe are implementing recommendations from gender audits that took place in November and December 2020. The gender audits are a response to reports of increased violence against women during the Covid-19 lockdowns in most countries in Sub Saharan Africa.
UK court rules in favour of hearing case of mine water pollution in Zambia6 May, 2019In a landmark case likely to open doors for lawsuits against multinational mining companies that discharge toxic waste into rivers where community livelihoods depend on, the UK supreme court held that the case brought against Vedanta Resources will be heard in the English courts.
Zambian unions petition Dangote on violation of workers’ rights6 July, 2018After recruiting and organizing over 500 workers at the Dangote Cement plant in Masaiti on the outskirts of Ndola, Zambian unions are being prevented from meeting with their members and collecting membership fees because of the company’s blatant violation of workers’ rights and union busting practices.
First Quantum Minerals dismiss workers demanding healthcare access11 February, 2015Six members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ), have been fired on grounds of inciting and participating in an unprotected strike at a mine owned by First Quantum Minerals (FQM) after the company gave assurance that no workers would be dismissed for their role in the strike.
Unions in Africa campaign for ratification of ILO C19026 June, 2020African governments and unions played a leading role in the negotiations at the ILO leading up to the adoption of Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work. Now, unions are campaigning for the convention to come into force and several governments are advancing the ratification process.
Women’s issues are union issues18 July, 2017Following debates about the urgent need to increase women’s representation in unions during the IndustriALL Women’s Committee in Geneva in April, a workshop was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Women organizers and gender directors exchanged experiences and strategies to increase women’s representation and power in union structures.
Government support for a living wage in Zambia22 May, 2014Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda told the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) that he will not sign any collective agreement negotiated by unions if it does not improve workers salary above the poverty line.
Trade unions march for debt cancellation in Africa28 March, 2024On 21 March over one thousand workers marched in the streets of Lusaka, Zambia, calling for sovereign debt cancellation and an end to illicit financial flows.