COPPERBELT YOUTHS DECRY VEDANTA’S TERMINATION OF THEIR RELATIVE’S JOB CONTRACTS
… Vedanta is a let down.
Discontent Copperbelt youths have expressed disappointment over Vedanta’s decision to terminate the employment of their miner relatives who they promised incentivised job security before the KCM take-over.
David Banda, Ezra Chimpango, and Sebrian Chibuye have voiced their distress over Vedanta’s recent decision to terminate the contracts of long-standing employees at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM).
Promised improved working conditions under Vedanta’s management, their parents now face sudden job insecurity, a stark contrast to the optimistic promises made during the transition of ownership.
“We feel let down by Vedanta. I wish to echoe the sentiments of many youths in the region. “Our parents trusted in the assurances of better days at KCM, but now their livelihoods are threatened,” lamented Ezra Chipango.
The youths expressed concern that such actions by KCM management undermine the commitments made to the UPND government, jeopardizing public trust in the mining sector’s future under new leadership.
They have called on Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe to intervene swiftly, urging a thorough investigation into the operational inefficiencies contributing to these terminations.
“We support the President’s vision for KCM, but actions speak louder than words. I want to emphasize the urgency for accountability amidst growing disillusionment,” added Sebrian Chibuye.
The outcry underscores broader anxieties among Copperbelt residents regarding job security and corporate responsibility in the wake of ownership changes at KCM.
Vedanta management has not yet commented on the issue as efforts to get them have proved futile.