Over 250 Construction workers from a site managed by Avic International in Kitwe district held peaceful demonstrations on 28th November 2017 as they protested against the poor working conditions they are subjected to in the site. The angry workers expressed their frustrations saying unless their demands are addressed they were not willing to report back to work. They blamed the management for unfair dismissal of workers, poor sanitation and use of abusive language. The angry protesters marched to the District Commissioner’s office.

Binwell Mpundu, Kitwe District Commissioner, addressed the protesters saying he was not pleased with the manner in which they staged their protests in a disorderly manner as they marched to the district offices. However, he engaged the protests and assured them that the Ministry of Labor would work together with his office to ensure punitive measure are put on employers who violate the labor laws. He issued stun warning to Avic’s management saying that the state will not bear with non-professional personnel to continue with their businesses in Kitwe district. He went ahead and issued a notice to Avic’s management to respond before 1st December 2017.

Woods Wang, the manager at Avic International acknowledged the problems stated and promised to comply with the set labor laws.