Friday 26 September 2008

Election fever puts wind up FQM management

This story in today's Post made me laugh.

KANSANSHI Mining Plc has banned its workers from conducting political campaigns for the presidential election on the mine site.

In a memo addressed to Kansanshi Mine and First Quantum Mining Operations (FQMO) mining division workers on Monday, Kansanshi general manager Russell Alley said no worker would be permitted to use company resources for political campaigns.

"The election campaign is bound to be very active in the run- up to the election date, the First Quantum Minerals Group policy is for us as a company to remain non-partisan," Alley stated. "However, staff are free to exercise their right to affiliate with or support a candidate of their choice but not be permitted to do this or influence others on the mine site."

Alley warned of serious action against any worker found to be breaching the outlined guidelines of the company regarding the presidential election.

Alley urged workers to maintain peace and harmony during the campaign period and on the actual day of voting.

But sources at the mine said management had been prompted to ban political campaigns because most workers are campaigning for opposition political parties.

They said the workers at Kansanshi Mine and FQMO had complained that the MMD government was more concerned on protecting the welfare of expatriate workers and the mine than protecting its own people.

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