Zambezi Portland awards unionised workers 10 p.c increment

Unionised workers at Zambezi Portland Cement in Ndola have been awarded a 10 percent salary increment across the board.

ZANIS reports that the new Zambezi Portland Cement management has signed the 10 percent basic salary increment across the board with its unionised workers.

And Zambezi Portland Cement Managing Director Antonio Ventriglia has called on workers and the general public to accept the Ventriglias as the legitimate owners of the cement plant.

Mr. Ventriglia made the remarks before the signing of the collective agreement with the Union at Ndola’s Mukuba hotel yesterday.

Mr. Ventriglia stated he and his wife were the main shareholders of the cement plant despite what transpired a few years ago when they were illegally deported out of Zambia.

He explained that as long as he was alive, Zambezi Portland Cement will belong to him because he built the Cement plant from the scratch.

“So please accept us as the legitimate owners of this plant and we thank God that the courts of law ruled in our favour. We have faith in the Zambian judiciary because they ruled that we get back what rightfully belonged to us and today I have the pleasure of signing a collective agreement with the unions so that that we can work as a team,” Mr. Ventriglia said.

He explained that he had no quarrel with the collective agreement even if the negotiations were started with the previous management adding that the important issue was to strengthen the cement plant and work together as he believed in unity. 

He further said his management has no problem working with the union and that the new management will respect the signed collective agreement.

Mr Ventriglia said the union has the right to confer with management on any matter relating to workers’ rights as they are one family.

Mr. Ventriglia said the cement plant has since reinstated about 50 workers that were fired on speculations that they belonged to the Italians by the previous management.

And Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) General Secretary Joseph Chewe thanked the new management for accepting the collective agreement whose negotiations started with the previous management.

Mr. Chewe however noted that there was need to harmonize speculations that some workers belonged to the previous management while others belonged to the new management.

Mr. Chewe said as MUZ they wanted to see that workers were working in harmony with the new management by ensuring that there is job security for all the workers.

He further said MUZ will ensure that there is total peace at the cement plant and thanked the team that participated in the negotiations.

The 10 percent basic salary increment signed in the collective agreement is effective from April 15, 2015.