By MAYA NTANDA –

SIX MINERS have sued the Zambia Non-ferrous Exploration and Construction Company in Chambishi for K121,380 unpaid night and meal allowances.
In a statement of claim in the Kitwe High Court, Jimmy Nkandu and five others have sued the company for unpaid allowances from September 1 to December 28, 2013.
The miners were employed on a one year renewable contract and the conditions of service were negotiated through the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW).
They claimed that the signed collective agreement by NUMAW was effected on January 1, 2013 and approved by the Ministry of Labour on January 29, 2013.
Under the agreement, the miners were entitled to an allowance when working out of town and away from the station and each was entitled to an allowance of K50 as meal and K420 as night allowance.
On September 1 2013, the defendants assigned the miners to work in Kasempa in North-Western Province, where the company was opening a new mine at Mufwashi site.
Following interventions of the union, the miners were promised that the allowances were to be added to their pay slips and promised to accommodate them while at Mufwashi site.
“The defendants made several promises to pay the plaintiffs allowances before and after the date of expiry of the contract on the January 31 last year but nothing has come out,” read the affidavit in part.
The miners said the company has neglected to pay their allowances and now sought the court’s intervention in the matter.