Employees have returned to work after an illegal work stoppage that took place at Kalumbila Minerals Limited’s Sentinel Mine on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
The company says it appreciates the manner in which the authorities, Labour Office and unions assisted in resolving the matter peacefully.
First Quantum Minerals General Manager Morris Rowe says the firm is glad to have normal operations restored, and encourages the teams to focus on safety and production.
Mr. Rowe says the company looks forward to a safe and productive year.
Yesterday Management at First Quantum Minerals’ Sentinel mine confirmed that an illegal work stoppage took place on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
The company warned that disciplinary action will be taken against employees who fail to resume work following the incident, during which police were called to disperse an unruly crowd assembled on a public road attempting to intimidate workers at the start of their shifts.
The Assistant Labour Commissioner declared the work stoppage illegal based on the Industrial and Labour Relations Act, and called for swift dialogue and resolution of the concerns raised by the workforce.
Mine management met with the Assistant Labour Commissioner and union representatives to discuss grievances, which stem from a change of format of payslips that resulted in some errors and misunderstandings.
General Manager Morris Rowe explained that all the matters raised by the workforce had already been tabled and are in process of being discussed and resolved with the unions.
He said regular updates on progress on these matters have been provided and management remained committed to dialogue in order to resolve the issues.
The Assistant Labour Commissioner condemned the unruly behaviour, and commended union representatives, and the Kalumbila Minerals Limited management for the spirit in which they discussed and agreed to resolve the on-going matters of concern.
First Quantum assured staff that conditions have not been changed or reduced, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2017 remains in effect.

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