"This number includes those that work for the mines and some who work
for companies that are directly linked to the mines," said Rayford
Mbulu, president of the Mineworkers’ Union of Zambia.
He voiced concern that more retrenchments are still to come.
The job cuts are already causing ripple effects, as laid-off
mineworkers are unable to afford school fees for their youngsters,
Mbulu added.
"Children are no longer in schools and the fear is that crime and prostitution may rise," he said.
Lawmakers representing copper-mining regions said severance benefits paid out to those dismissed were paltry.
"The problem is that many were in big debts, and so all the monies have
again been taken away from them," member of Parliament Wylbur Simuusa
told AFP.
Zambia’s economy is dependent on copper exports. With some of the
world’s largest copper reserves, the metal accounts for 80% of Zambia’s
export earnings.
On Friday copper for delivery in three months traded at $3 420 a tonne, less than half the price in June last year.Â
SAPA/Agence France Presse (AFP)
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