Ndola Lime workers cry for benefits

MARY PHIRI writes NDOLA Lime Company employees have bemoaned the delay in paying off their benefits after the firm was recently transformed into Ndola Limestone Resources. A group of employees at Ndola Lime expressed concern over the delay in the disbursement of their benefits during the transition process at the company. However, the employees spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. Speaking in an interview with the Sun newspaper yesterday, the employees said since Ndola Lime company had transformed into another company called Limestone Resources, the transition required that all workers be paid off their benefits. He said the new company would then select a few employees to continue working for the new company. “This transition is being handled by Milingo Lungu and Company. So this company addressed us last year and said that all procedures have been completed and they had written to the Labour Commissioner and wee only waiting for a response. “They told us that after the response, they would go ahead and retrench people and pay them off,” one of the said. The employees said they were worried because the company was no longer in production and terminal benefits had not yet been given while a lot of workers had been sent home. “We know that they already got a response from the Labour Commissioner, but why are they delaying in giving us our money, we want our money, let them tell us what is holding our money,” a representative lamented. And National Union of Mine and Allied Workers’ Treasurer, Saul Simujika, explained that after the company was transformed into the Ndola Limestone Resources, workers were supposed to be paid their dues so that they separate with the previous firm, Ndola Lime Company. He said they already had started meeting on when the disbursement of benefits could commence but the covid-19 outbreak had delayed the whole process. “Even then, we did not fix a date on when the workers should be paid their benefits, but rather it was just assumed that by this time the workers must be paid,” he said. Mr Simujika further disclosed that the administrator who was spearheading the process had already communicated to the workers on when they could meet again in order to discuss the way forward. The Sun