By Jane Chanda
Mine, Contractors, Factory and Allied Workers Union president Joseph Kasonka says about 5,000 workers have lost their jobs after the closure of 15 manganese factories in Central Province.
In July this year, manganese factories in Central Province, faced a severe power supply crisis, resulting in the disconnection of 15 of them, leaving thousands of workers on the brink of losing their jobs.
Kasonka said despite an improvement in power supply, the factories remained closed.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Revelation on Monday, Kasonka said the factories, which processed manganese, were still facing a lack of power supply, prompting the union to call upon the government to intervene.
“It is sad that the supply to the affected manganese factories has been cut off, resulting in the loss of employment for over 5,000 workers, at a time when the nation is beginning to move away from copper mining dependence, to include mining of manganese, which had started bringing employment, foreign exchange, and taxes to the government,” he said.
Kasonka emphasied that the situation was dire, with many workers struggling to make ends meet, and despite the union’s efforts to engage with various stakeholders to find a solution, no progress was being made.
“We only have actually one month left before the year ends, so surely something can be done before the year ends so that people can get back to work,” he said.
The union leader said the lack of power supply to the factories had been a persistent problem, despite efforts by the union to address the issue, noting that the union met with Zesco management, including the former managing director Victor Mapani to discuss possible solutions.
“We travelled to Lusaka and had a meeting with the entire Zesco management, we agreed on some proposals including writing a letter to the management indicating when the factories want power, but nothing was done,” said Kasonka.
He further appealed to Zesco to intervene and provide power to the factories, which would enable the thousands of workers currently idle to resume their jobs.
Kasonka expressed hope that the government and Zesco would take immediate action to address the situation and get the manganese factories back in operation, allowing workers to return to their jobs before the year came to a close.
The union president reaffirmed the group’s dedication to resolving the issue and safeguarding workers’ interests, while also urging the government and Zesco to collaborate on a permanent solution to the power supply challenges plaguing the manganese factories.
Recently, Energy minister Makozo Chikote revealed that despite government’s initial unawareness of the impending job losses in Serenje, Zesco had been actively engaging with the Ferro Alloy Producers Association of Zambia since March 2024 to address the power supply challenges facing the manganese factories.
He stated that Zesco had initially agreed to provide full power supply to the manganese smelting companies until August 31, 2024, but due to the worsening energy deficit, the power utility was forced to shut down supply to the factories from July 1, 2024, and subsequently offered the companies an option to sign up for emergency power imported from Mozambique, which they declined.
