Workers at METALKOL and Ruashi Mining are accusing their employers of not implementing the second tier of the Guaranteed Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMIG), set at 21,500 Congolese francs per day.
Based in Kolwezi and Lubumbashi, these employees expressed their discontent on Sunday, May 3, on Radio Okapi.
In their demands, these employees also denounce:
the preferential treatment of expatriate workers at the expense of local employees;
the lack of improvement in their working conditions;
unfair dismissals;
the lack of union protection.
Two Companies Singled Out
Several mining companies with foreign capital are accused of not implementing the SMIG, set at 21,500 Congolese francs by the government of the Republic.
In response, these workers recently went on strike.
“The employer told us they would implement it, but at a rate of 1,800 FC to the dollar, while our benchmark is the Central Bank, which sets the rate at 2,200 FC to the dollar,” denounced the METALKOL workers’ representative.
Reminder of the rules
During the demonstration organized on May 1st in Lubumbashi, Celestin Kapuaya, the provincial Minister of Labor for Haut-Kananga, emphasized that respecting the minimum wage is not optional but a legal obligation. On the same occasion as International Workers’ Day, he also called on employers to respect the labor code.
Furthermore, Radio Okapi’s efforts to contact the heads of these companies were unsuccessful.
With Okapi
