State House anticipates lower job cuts at MCM

Presidential Press Aide Amos Chanda

State House says the number of earmarked job cuts at Mopani Copper Mines is likely to be lower than the 4,000 earlier announced.

Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations, Amos Chanda could however, not state the exact number of jobs that will be lost at Mopani mines for fear of prejudicing ongoing negotiations between the mining company and the unions.

And Mr. Chanda says the mining company has earmarked a huge investment to modernize and refurbish its mining operations in Zambia.

He says the investment which is meant to make Mopani more sustainable and resilient to withstand the shocks arising from the fall in copper prices will be carried out in a period of 18 months.

Mr. Chanda has disclosed that owners of Mopani made the assurance of the undisclosed investment at a recent meeting they had with President Edgar Lungu.

He has explained that the total value of the investment by Mopani has been withheld temporarily owing to the fact that the investment is tied to the ongoing negotiations between the Mine firm and the unions.

M r Chanda has however told journalists at State House this afternoon that the huge investment will be made at the Mine’s operations in Mufulira and Kitwe and that the Mopani will in the due course announce the total value of the investment.