LAST week I discussed the impulsive spending habits that have spread through some miners who received their retrenchment packages from Mopani Copper Mines in Kitwe recently.
About two weeks ago, the mining company released K18,000 to each of the over 3,000 retrenched miners, but some of them immediately proceeded to devil-may-care ways of expenditure, which have disappointed people on the Copperbelt.
There is a palpable sense of anger for one particular reason: There was considerable public disquiet when the job cuts in the mines were announced, but some former miners seem to have forgotten about all their grievances after receiving their dues.
What has instead become prominent, is the concern about the possible depletion of their benefits.
I have received mail which has attempted to explain some personality traits that could be leading to such ill-advised lifestyles.
Here is one: “Dear Charles, I am a regular reader of your column and I should mention that you are doing a great job in sensitising individuals with little knowledge about labour.
The issue of ex-miners’ reckless spending cannot be over-emphasised. They are known for such behaviour, especially when they are retrenched and when they acquire loans.
To say the least, I also work from the mines though with the finance department, but I see people behaving like that due to several reasons of which I will mention a few.
The first reason is that miners work long hours underground, making it difficult for them to explore other opportunities outside the umbrella, coupled with the kind of work they do which only demands them to go home and rest waiting for the next day again to go for work.
This has hindered the progress of many who had a bright future but are enclosed from the rest of the world to the extent that they only yearn for an opportunity to have a bit of money and feel happy by purchasing all sorts of luxury goods.
The second reason is that most of these people lack entrepreneurial skills; what they only think about is how to spend the acquired funds.
Despite the fact that it is not all who have limited education, most of them have only acquired lower levels of education and it is this category which faces many difficulties after retrenchment.
The good point you raised is that these have to be prepared through business mentorship and also equipped with entrepreneurial skills.
The third reason is that some of these workers are influenced by their peers to pursue luxurious lifestyles with the little money they have, but they just need to be counselled so that they do not blindly do things that appease others.
These were the few things I wanted to share with you and with those who may not have experienced life in the mines. JZ, Chingola.”
My dear JZ, I wish to thank you for sharing your thoughts on the incautious spending culture of some miners.
I hope there will be more people coming up with strategies that will be the saving grace for our otherwise hardworking miners.
&&&
After pressure from Walk Free supporters and other organisations, Norway has become the second country, after Niger, to ratify the Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention (better known as C29).
This is important since the adopted Protocol only comes into force 12 months after being ratified by two member States.
Following the Norwegian Government’s action, the new Protocol will come into force on November 9, 2016.
This Protocol was created last year to update Convention 29, which was drafted in 1930, so that it is equipped to address modern-day slavery.
Walk Free believes that through a collective voice, the world could ensure protection measures to end forced labour are up to date in every country.
Millions of men, women and children are enslaved worldwide, forced against their will to labour in fields and factories, in mines and at sea, on construction sites and even in the homes of families.
Governments have the power to help end exploitation in all the countries worldwide. The C29 Protocol provides measures to prevent forced labour, to protect victims and to give them access to justice.
But to give protection and keep governments to account, each country must sign up to the Convention.
***
As we inch towards the end of 2015, I would like to share some tips I gathered from a careers coach.
These are success tips for you, your business and your staff.
You
You need customers, and lots of them! How will you attract them? Focus and know your limitations.
Do not try to do too much. If you try to ride two horses at once, switching from one to the other, you will not win the race.
Invest in yourself. If you are the key person in the business, it is vital that your skills and knowledge are kept up to date, and that you network with the people who are at the top of your industry.
Take courses online, read self-help books, look at coaching websites online. If you can, work in markets and products that you understand and have experience of.
That way, you can anticipate and prevent problems, keep things on track, and recognise when something is starting to go wrong.
Outsource expert help and experience when you need it. You cannot be an expert at everything, and it will save you time and money in the long run.
Follow up. Have a system to check that you have followed through with people. Make notes in your diary when you need to have received a reply from people you sent queries to. Make things happen.
Your business
Consider how much maintenance your business will need. Ideally, you want something that you can build and leave to run with the minimum of fuss – the original “make money while you sleep” idea.
You want either low maintenance or something you can delegate to others to do for you.
If you lose business, find out why. Contact the client and offer to correct any problem and ask for the business back.
Look for creative offers for your customers, ideally one that keeps them coming back – loyalty points, discount off the next purchase.
Know what your marketing budget is spent on and how productive every penny of that budget is.
Capture information on a database and use it to keep in touch with your clients. Remind them of your existence and ask for their business.
Keep moving or you stand still, in terms of your product, offer, and your own knowledge.
Set up several income streams, ideally one that will cover your overheads (residual income) and does not require you to actually undertake work to earn it. Keep a close eye on your competition, and test your selling prices too.
Things will go wrong. See it as a learning opportunity. Mistakes are okay as long as they are owned up to and corrected, and lessons are learnt to ensure it does not happen again.
Set smart targets, milestones and deadlines.
Your people
Keep a close eye on the shop floor. Standards slip – no-one cares like you do. You need to keep putting staff back on track and reinforcing standards.
Get the best out of your people. They relish the challenge; give them an opportunity to create and shape things.
Give them responsibility. Sometimes if you step back you will be surprised at how good your people are.
Balance whether you hire for attitude or experience. You can give them experience, but it is much harder to change attitude. But you do need some experts on board.
Try to create an energetic atmosphere, and a positive culture .
This usually improves productivity, reduces sick time taken, increases staff retention, and helps to attract the best people to work with you.
Try to create a family friendly culture, and offer support to staff experiencing personal problems.
Look for ways to motivate staff. Different people are motivated by different things; not everyone is motivated by money.
Make sure every member of the team knows the strategic plan, the direction of travel, what the focus is, and what their targets are. They should also clearly understand their own role in achieving the team targets.
These and other tips can be found on www.whatisacareer.com.
Dear readers, I wish you all a merry Christmas. Please celebrate responsibly and let us keep this link open as we share matters on labour and employment. For comments or questions: niza12001@yahoo.com