SPEECH BY THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS REPRESENTATIVE MR…………. SAFETY MANAGER KANSANSHI MINE PLC AT THE COMMEMORATION OF THE WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK HELD ON 28TH APRIL 2022 AT SOLWEZI LODGE IN SOLWEZI
- THE GUEST OF HONOUR, HON MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY BRENDA MWIKA TAMBATAMBA
- THE SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PRESENT
- THE PRESIDENT OF THE ZAMBIA CONGRESS OF TRADE UNION
- MEMBERS OF THE PRESS
- DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
I AM GLAD AND HUMBLED TO HAVE BEEN ACCORDED THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME REMARKS ON BEHALF OF THE ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS AND ITS MEMBERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AT THIS VERY IMPORTANT COMMEMORATION OF THE WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK TAKING PLACE ON THIS 28TH DAY IN THE MONTH OF APRIL 2022.
HONOURABLE MINISTER I AM ALSO VERY DELIGHTED THAT YOUR MINISTRY DECIDED TO HAVE THIS YEARS’ SAFETY AND HEALTH DAY COMMEMORATION HELD HERE IN SOLWEZI WHICH IS A CLEAR TESTIMONY THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND IN PARTICULAR YOUR MINISTRY RECOGNIZES THE FACT THAT SOLWEZI DISTRICT AND ITS NEIGHBOR KALUMBILA DISTRICT HAVE BECOME INDUSTRIOUS AND THAT BOTH THE EMPLOYERS AND THE WORKERS MUST BE REMINDED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF OBSERVING SAFETY AND HEALTH IN THE WORLD OF WORK.
GUEST OF HONOUR WE IN ZFE INTERPRET THE THEME OF THIS YEAR’S COMMEMORATION WHICH STATES THAT “ACT TOGETHER TO BUILD A POSITIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE‘’, AS A CALL ON US EMPLOYERS, THE WORKERS AND THE GOVERNMENT TO WORK TOGETHER IN BUILDING A POSITIVE SAFETY AND HEALTH CULTURE AT WORK. THIS THEME CALLS FOR FULL RESPONSIBILITIES AND TOTAL COMMITMENT FROM THE TRIPARTITE PARTNERS IN THE WORLD OF WORK TOWARDS A SAFETY COMPLIANCE BEHAVIOR AT ALL TIME. AS EMPLOYERS WE ARE MINDFUL AND TOTALLY COMMITTED TO OUR OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE A SAFE WORK PLACE AND WE ARE ALIVE TO THE FACT THAT SAFETY ISSUES CANNOT BE TACKLED EFFECTIVELY WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF EMPLOYERS WITH A PARTICULAR PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR AS AN IMPORTANT CRITERIA NEEDED TO CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR OF EMPLOYEES TOWARDS SAFETY AND HEALTH COMPLIANCE.
WHILE WE REGRET SOME OCCURRENCES IN SOME OF OUR MINING COMPANIES, IN SOME CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES AND IN OTHER SECTORS WHERE ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AND ALSO REGRETTING THE FACT THAT DURING SOME OF THE LABOUR INSPECTIONS CONDUCTED BY YOUR MINISTRY , YOU HAVE DISCOVERED SOME WORKPLACES WHERE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN WORKING WITHOUT PPES WHICH CONSTITUTES AN ACT OF NON-COMPLIANCE TO SAFETY AND HEALTH IN SOME OF OUR MEMBER COMPANIES, AS ZFE WE CALL ON ALL EMPLOYERS OUT THERE TO OBSERVE COMPLIANCE ON SAFETY AND HEALTH AS WE BELIEVE THAT A SAFE WORKPLACE IS NOT ONLY BENEFICIAL TO EMPLOYEES BUT TO BOTH EMPLOYERS AND THE EMPLOYEES AS IT IS ALSO A MEANS TO ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY. IT IS OUR CALL ON ALL EMPLOYERS IN THE COUNTRY TO FORMULATE SAFETY AND HEALTH POLICIES WHERE SUCH A POLICY DOES NOT EXIST AND MAKE THEM KNOWN TO THE EMPLOYEES AND HAVE THE POLICY FULLY IMPLEMENTED. WE FURTHER CALL ON ALL EMPLOYERS IN THE COUNTRY TO NOT ONLY FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE PHYSICAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT BUT ALSO ON SHAPING EMPLOYEES’ BEHAVIOR, ATTITUDE AND BELIEFS WHICH MUST LEAD TO SAFETY BEHAVIOR AND ULTIMATELY SAFETY COMPLIANCE IN THE WORK PLACE. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT EMPLOYERS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT WORKERS AGAINST SICKNESS, OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES AND INJURIES DUE TO WORK PLACE HAZARDS INCLUDING ALL RISK FACTORS IN COMPANIES.
AT THE SAME TIME GUEST OF HONOUR LET ME ALSO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COMMEND EMPLOYERS THAT HAVE COMPLIED WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE EMPLOYMENT CODE ACT NO. 3 OF 2019 WHICH REQUIRES EMPLOYERS TO FORMULATE WORKPLACE POLICIES WHICH AMONG THEM IS THE REQUIREMENT TO HAVE A HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY. THESE EMPLOYERS GUEST OF HONOR HAVE INVESTED RESOURCES IN SAFETY COMPLIANCE BY PROVIDING SAFETY AND HEALTH TRAINING TO EMPLOYEES AND ALSO BY PROVIDING PPE ATTIRE TO THE EMPLOYEES. WHAT IS REGRETTABLE GUEST OF HONOUR IS THAT THERE ARE INSTANCES THAT SOME EMPLOYEES DECIDE NOT TO WEAR THE PPE ATTIRE AND ALSO NOT TO ALWAYS FOLLOW THE COMPANY SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS SO COMPROMISING THE SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS OF THE COMPANIES. TO THIS EFFECT I WISH ON BEHALF OF ALL EMPLOYERS IN THE COUNTRY TO CALL ON ORGANIZED LABOUR MOVEMENT IN THE COUNTRY TO TAKE THIS AS A VERY IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT FOR WORKERS TO OBSERVE AND ACCORDINGLY THE UNION LEADERSHIP SHOULD EMBRACE AND EMBARK ON CONDUCTING SAFETY AND HEALTH TRAINING ACTIVITIES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WHO GET ELECTED TO POSITIONS OF LEADERSHIP IN SECTOR UNIONS. THIS WAY WE WILL BE CREATING AN EFFECTIVE MEANS AND COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN THE MANAGEMENT AND THE TRADE UNIONS TO ATTAIN MAXIMUM COMPLIANCE LEVELS TO SAFETY AND HEALTH IN THE WORLD OF WORK AS OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS ARE ALL CAUSED BY PREVENTABLE FACTORS WHICH COULD BE ELIMINATED BY IMPLEMENTING MEASURES AND METHODS THAT ALREADY EXIST. GUEST OF HONOR, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS THE DEGREE OF PROTECTION AGAINST OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS VARIES NOT ONLY BY NATION BUT ALSO BY ECONOMIC SECTOR AND SIZE OF THE ENTERPRISE. WORLD OVER THE HIGHEST RATE OF OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS OCCUR IN AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, CONSTRUCTION AND MINING AND THE ECONOMIC COST OF INJURIES AND DEATHS ARE COLOSSAL AND INVOLVE INDIVIDUALS, ENTERPRISES AND NATIONS AND THE ENTIRE WORLD. ESTIMATES OF THESE LOSSES ARE ROUTINELY PUT AT ROUGHLY 4 PERCENT OF GLOBAL GROSS NET PRODUCT (GNP) TAKING INTO ACCOUNT COMPENSATIONS, MEDICAL EXPENSES LOST WORKING TIME INTERRUPTION OF PRODUCTION, TRAINING AND RETRAINING AND NOBODY IS COMPLETELY UNAFFECTED BY OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS AND ACCIDENTS. THEREFORE, THERE IS A BUSINESS CASE FOR EMPLOYERS, TRADE UNIONS AND THE GOVERNMENT TO WORK TOGETHER ON MEASURES MEANT TO PROTECT WORKERS AGAINST RISKS AND HAZARDS THAT APPEAR IN THE WORKPLACE. GUEST OF HONOUR. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ALLOW ME TO END MY REMARKS BY MAKING A CALL ON YOUR MINISTRY TO HELP THIS COUNTRY HAVE THE WORKERS COMPENSATION ACT NO.10 OF 1999 PASSED FOR AMENDMENTS AS THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THIS ACT ARE WELL MEANT TO ADDRESS A NUMBER OF LEGAL ISSUES WHICH AMONG OTHERS INCLUDING COMPENSATION RATES FOR THE EMPLOYEES THAT GET INJURED IN THE WORK PLACE AND REQUIRE COMPENSATION.
I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS US ALL.