The article ‘This is What a Neoliberal Union Looks Like’ under-emphasises the achievements of Zambia’s mining unions, who use businesses to assist members and to fund the union. As workers are replaced by machines, unionism is changing. MUZ is changing with it, but our focus will always be on Zambian miners. At its peak, Luansyha Copper Mines had 20,000 workers, now 2,000 workers can produce a greater amount of copper. The union that these workers, and their communities, needs maintains its traditional militant strength, but also uses other techniques, including business and cooperation to achieve workers’ goals.
The article mentions that union memberships are growing and that much of this growth has come through our increased ability to unionise subcontractors. This work is vital to the future of the union, but it is also expensive. Our union branch at China Copper Mines has under 200 members, many of whom have basic salaries of approximately 1000KW per month. This branch’s monthly subscriptions do not pay for the assistance they need, for example, trainings, research for their negotiations and if necessary a lawyer to defend them from the company. Instead, the union owns, co-owns and manages businesses including a maize mill, transport company and financial services. Each of these businesses have boards independent of the union.
MUZ’s businesses and policy of interfacing with the government, NGOs, CSOs and other stakeholders with similar objectives of defending the weak, strengthens, rather than weakens, our engagement with mines and government. As recently as last week, MUZ’s president was on the radio informing the same mining companies that we are working with to avoid retrenchments, that they must pay their fair tax share to develop Zambia. While some criticise Zambian unions for not being as militant as unions in other countries, MUZ sees militancy as a last resort not because of its businesses, but because striking is illegal in Zambia. If a strike occurs, it is the unions and mining communities that must support the workers who are inevitably fired. MUZ is prepared for strikes, but we also know their consequences.
The union has inherited a large workforce and must prepare a better union for tomorrow’s few workers. We anticipate outsourcing, subcontracting, automation and mechanisation, which mines are engaging in as mines strive to reduce the costs of production. The Zambian government has intensified the call for diversifying and not depending on mining. As MUZ organisation we are walking the talk and also contributing to job creation in the nation.
MUZ will not abandon its call to continuously uplift the mineworkers through bargaining, safety awareness and advocacy for progressive labour administration in our country. Perhaps a better title for McNamara and Musonda’s article would have been ‘This is how a union responds to neoliberalism’. MUZ did not write the laws that banned strikes, encouraged subcontracting or split the unions. It is investors and financial institutions from countries like those that Dr McNamara is from that further impoverish Zambians. To assist members under these conditions the union must be able to finance itself. This requires the businesses that are dismissed as neoliberalism.
This blog was written by George S Mumba, General Secretary of the Mineworkers Union of Zambia, in response to a blog written in Africasacountry.com by Thomas McNamara and James Musonda, available here
https://africasacountry.com/2019/01/the-growth-and-stability-of-business-unionism-in-zambia