11 November 2009
STATE House is disappointed with remarks by the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) that president Rupiah Banda has not inspired miners when the head of State secured thousands of mining jobs.
Special assistant to the president for Press and public relations, Dickson Jere said in a statement issued from Chipata yesterday that President Banda in the last one year managed to secure tens of thousands of jobs in the middle of the global economic crisis.
Mr Jere said one of the president's key achievements was the manner he handled the crisis in the mining sector at a time when investors had planned to put mines under care and maintenance which could have led to job loses.
"President Banda personally intervened and persuaded mine owners not to pull out of the country. If they had done so, tens of thousands mining jobs would have been lost," he said.
He said the statement by MUZ general secretary, Oswell Munyenyembe showed that he had deliberately chosen to ignore facts on the ground because under President Banda, Zambia had done exceptionally well in mitigating the impact of the global crisis.
Mr Jere said Mr Munyenyembe, as a union leader, should know that measures put up by President Banda had helped to stabilise his union's membership because while Zambia lost about 8,500 jobs, Congo DR lost 200,000 while South Africa lost 30,000 mining jobs.
Luanshya Copper Mine was out of care and maintenance and thousands of jobs had been saved while more had been created with Munali Nickel Mine about to re-open to create more jobs.
Mr Jere said the Chambeshi Mine launched its smelter and the overall growth in the mining sector was robust and expected to grow by 15.2 per cent this year despite the global economic crisis.
Mr Munyenyembe was quoted as having claimed that President Banda had failed to inspire and impress miners in the one year that he had been in office.
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