EXPOSED: SDV Company WORKERS OUTLINE SERIOUS Irregularities “WE ARE OPPRESSED Only Unqualified FOREIGNERS Are REAPING GOLD”

SDV Zambia Ltd is one of the leading clearing and forwarding companies in Zambia. It is in 89 Countries and has 52 agencies world over with 28, 000 professionals. And has its Zambia head office in Lusaka

What makes SDV the leading company? Is it the top management or is it because of the causal workers right up to top management who put in their best? Is it because we work as a team or as top management? Can a company be operating only with the head? These and many more questions are what we are asking ourselves, and the most unfortunate part is that, SDV is currently operating as a head only and has forsaken the rest of the body parts.

Top management thinks that the workers below are not important. Year in, year out, we get low salary increase while top management give themselves fat salaries and profit shares made by us Zambians.

Top management stay in company houses while we get low housing allowances and they have personal to holder cars and free fuel while we get low housing allowances as low as K300, 000.00.

If a top manager makes a loss on a file, such a thing is overlooked, but if a Zambian worker makes a mistake or error that makes the company lose money, they are charged for it.

Top management consists of white people only, so who do we have to represent us on that level? The answer is NO ONE!

We are not asking that all of us should be promoted all we are simply asking for is to have reasonable salaries and to be looked at as people who are an important part of the company, just as the Bible says ‘we should put on the full armour of God, so as to withstand the enemy in time of evil so that after the battle, we will be able to stand firm, (Ephesians 6:13).’

A productive Labour force is the key to every company. So the million dollar question is, how important are we to top management or do they feel they can do as they please and we will sit back and watch? Does the colour of our skin make us less important in this company?

*QUALIFICATIONS/ PROMOTIONS*

How many Zambians are in top management? The answer? None!

The appointment of Tracey Bremner as assistant operations manager is more or less a joke and an insult to the qualified personnel of the position she currently holds. She has no qualifications what so ever for this position, but what seems to qualify her is her skin tone or type. So we wonder what form of criteria is used to promote or appoint people to higher positions

The job of achieves manager should have been given to a qualified person and thus, we feel and know that the only qualified personnel are Zambians (blacks). Why can’t a Zambian be given that job or any other job in top management according to the required qualifications?

Besides, how many of these whites are really qualified for the positions they are holding? We have seen Janice Sutherland learning how to invoice, check invoices and make losses on files by under invoicing. We have also seen Richard Beakers learn how to work. Why can’t a Zambian be given that chance?

*WORK CONDITIONS/SALARIES*

A white man is favored compared to a Zambian as he/she will be appointed to a higher position in management even without qualifications for the position.

White managers in management get more if not better conditions of pay and treatment than Zambians.

A Zambians salary in SDV is so low equating it would be close to just peanuts or nothing after a months hard earned work. It is only increased by a 10 – 13 percent raise which is not enough as it accommodates things like Rent, transport, food, power, etc…

For an employee who has worked for 25 years for SDV, he/she retires with a messily 25 – 30 million, which is just like nothing compared to the work hours and effort that one had put into his work.

In middle management, the salary increase is not subject to negotiations.
Why is this so? And at the end of the day, which senior management wishes such a life for its employees? This has to change. We need better work conditions and services.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

Our human resources manager is weak! All she does is to receive orders and cannot stand on our behalf as employees of SDV. She has a good salary and she just got a car loan easily, while it takes ages for us to get a loan or even a salary advance.

She is being paid now to go and learn about the HR practice of which is totally unfair as there are people in the company who are qualified to take up the position as Human Resources Manager.

We are planning to sign a petition to have her removed as HR manager as she is not standing as a go between for management and us.

Our SDV HR statement even on our website states that;

Ø To help each individual achieve his/her full potential,

Ø To encourage the sharing of knowledge,

Ø To provide ample opportunities for career development and

Ø Our HR policy is based on clear objectives.

It also says on the same web page that we (SDV) achieve these goals (goals in the HR statement) by listening to our employees and monitoring each individuals potential. So then how come we as SDV are not living up to the standards we set up ourselves?

IMMIGRATION/ACQUISITION OF WORK PERMITS

We would like to find out what these people tell immigration when getting their work permits and what really are their job descriptions and what they come to do in Zambia.

The immigration department needs to come and find out what these people do before giving out the work permits.

Richard beakers applied for a permit as a volunteer, but why is he the finaical controller?

Stephan Farineru applied for a permit as General Manager – IBD when in fact he is the Financial Manager a position every one who comes into Zambia holds. He is a lawyer by profession, but practicing in the wrong field. The same applies to Richard beakers. Stephan signs auditor’s reports from our external auditors as what?

We do not know what ZICA and the Law say about this, but we shall soon find out.

Find attached the true job tittles for Stephan Farineru and Richard beakers.

*LEAVING OF STEPHAN FARINERU*

A lot of workers are happy that he is leaving and will not be missed by many. Only by those he favored by giving promotions. He was always against the employees when it came to reasonable salary increase.

A good manager looks at both sides not as long as he is given a new contract and a better pay for himself.

SDV France thinks he has cut on costs but in actual sense, he has been giving low salaries to cover the other costs that have been going up each year.

He would not have done it without the hard work that all of us put in. We will be at the party because it will give us so much joy that he is going.
But what has he lift us as SDV employees to remember him by? Nothing.

From the accounts department he was heading, everyone complains as well as all the other departments.

You reap what you saw if not today one day. Do to others as you would want them do unto you. The only people who will give a speech at his farewell party are the ones who benefited.
SUMMARY

We make money for this company but what do we gain from it? All the foreigns get a profit share from the company and what do we get as Zambians? Low salaries.
Is it company policy that all top management are all supposed to be white?
They stay in company houses for free and all their bills are paid for?
All we are asking for are better salaries and they say we ask for too much.
Not a month passes without one of the houses they occupy is renovated. Why can’t they reduce costs on unnecessary renovations to the houses and help reduce other costs than them reducing the salary expenses so that they can have more profit to share?
We are peaceful people but we should not be taken advantage of. The time to act is now. What is SDV without the causal workers who load the trucks, the clearing agent who goes to clear goods for the client, the people who open files, the people who invoice the clients, the people who collect payments, unionized workers, middle management and some senior management workers? Do they think they can run this company without us Zambians?

We want to walk with our heads high and happy that we work for a company that takes care of its employees. And not getting paid today by the next day we are broke because our salaries are too low.

SUFFERING-OPPRESSED ZAMBIAN SDV EMPLOYEES

Posted by Admin on December 15, 2011. Filed under HEADLINES, LATEST NEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

80 Responses to EXPOSED: SDV Company WORKERS OUTLINE SERIOUS Irregularities “WE ARE OPPRESSED Only Unqualified FOREIGNERS Are REAPING GOLD”

chula

December 15, 2011 at 6:55 pm

Janice Bremmer you are a piece of trype. I don’t know where you hail from and don’t give a toss either. You lot have come to zed to take advantage of zedians and think it’s okay to opress people the way you do. In most of these european countries as a foreigner your application for a job would not even go past interview stage. I know of someone in a certain country in europe who has good qualifications and has applied for several jobs but has never even got a rejection letter just becasue he is foreign. So those supporting these Pharaoh’s try applying for a work permit to come and work in UK, you’d be lucky if you get a visa, because now it is impossible for you to getone. There are millions of citizans in the Uk with no jobs and are on welfare for years because there are no jobs and with all the cuts and all no one’s job is secure anymore. I wish you could also see what the press says about foreign nationals working in Uk, “the are getting all our jobs, let them go back to their countries”. Fancy working in the health service in the Uk or any of the other establishement, for you to get a promotion is so hard and yet a white person can qualify now say for instance as a nurse, join the NHS and will be promoted before their peers on the ward. Thats the way it is in the UK…So Zed govt needs to put its people first before all these Pharaos.
precious

December 15, 2011 at 7:55 pm

In response to the comment supposedly written by Tracey Bremner, do you really think that someone would write that and sign their actual name at the bottom!?! Come on! Let’s use our heads here. The people above are slandering a person who has not done anything wrong…
Nelly

December 15, 2011 at 8:03 pm

@chula, u clearly don’t know what you are talking about. People in the UK are judged on qualifications alone. Not on race. If people that migrate there have good qualifications and are not there just to rape the benefit system then they will do well. Its is a fair country and I know from personal experience what I am talking about
imbwa

December 15, 2011 at 8:51 pm

Nelly uli chipuba if you believe that.Colour matters in the UK.
Kalok

December 15, 2011 at 8:58 pm

Chula, not sure what job level you are talking about but I suspect yours is a sweeping statement aimed especially at the lower-paid jobs. My understanding (and experience) is that at the moment most Europeans and Americans are ill-qualified for the jobs available! That is the reality. If you are a foreigner and are skilled you get a lot of regard. Like any society, the lower level citizenry will pass derogatory comments BUT this is not the same as back in Africa (especially Southern Africa) where the very visitors who are ill-qualified from abroad are the ones who mistreat you, the owners of the country!!! And you allow it. Put context to your comments and avoid making sweeping statements. Some of us are being rewarded handsomely for good quality work!
grenada

December 16, 2011 at 12:31 am

You are not alone. There are others like you who are suffering. Blaze the trail and we shall follow u!
Maxwell

December 16, 2011 at 1:20 am

@Nelly wake up!!
Chipubachandi

December 16, 2011 at 1:20 am

Ba Nelly, which country are you leaving in? Its like you just stayed in a corner of Uk? Bachifita they work double to prove that they are worthy than they light tanned guys!!
Madalitso

December 16, 2011 at 2:03 am

Its difficulty to comment as we have only heard from one side of the story. Mwe ma Zambians mula concluda! Thats a great song!
cindy

December 16, 2011 at 2:30 am

You need to seed a letter to the President Mr SATA AND HIGH GOV OFFICIAL’S (eg) your local MP INCLUDING YOUR DIRECTOR AND THE ONE ABOVE HIM,
Your point is very strong GOOD LUCKY.
Madaliso Kapopo(no more BS)

December 16, 2011 at 4:14 am

Being in a foreign land i am really saddened by what am reading.Why do we allow foreigners to have so much power and get all the cream from the cone when they make deliberate provisions in their investment acts not to allow you to operate in this manner in their own countries.Zambia being a developing country should not only create employment by bringing in investors but go a step ahead and make specific requirements to employ Zambian skilled labour and enjoy where the cream is as well.We have too many qualified Zambians to keep our people always doing jobs where only peanuts are paid.The PF Government should start killing 2 birds with 1 stone.Facilitate and provde employment and at the same time provide empowerement to the Citizens!!
Situmbeko

December 16, 2011 at 4:26 am

Well said Madaliso Kapopo!!
Tumfwepo

December 16, 2011 at 5:00 am

The world is slowly changing and people are slowly coming to understand the need to respect all humans. But unfortunately we the “whites” seem not to understand that we need to change the way we look at our counterparts of different skin color. We have joked about how they (and there forefathers), squeak and shiver as they beg for mercy at our hands. Freedom was predominantly for us but not anymore. Times have changed, all men are free. I fear for my children who are yet to be born. I wonder how the world will treat them because our hands, and those of our forefathers are not very clean. I am still strong & powerful today and can protect myself. I don’t know if my children will also be employers like me. I fear for their safety because other races seem to be coming together against us. And there are more Blacks on earth than whites by the definition of “whites”. Even when we try to do good credible things people are just complaining about us. Maybe it is just pay back time. The past is now haunting us. Our past sins are slowly catching up we us and we don’t see it coming. Few of us have repented and seen the need to have Jesus in our future lives. We have continued to justify our actions in the name of modern life. My advice to my fellow friends is that let us all go back and build our lands and leave Africans to mess their own land. Slowly all African countries are becoming Zimbabwe. I have resolved to have colored children
anon

December 16, 2011 at 7:56 am

I wonder if many of the people above realise there are also many muzungu citizens of this country with just as much rights…
tumfweko

December 16, 2011 at 8:14 am

THE PROBLEM THAT YOU ARE FACING IS A TALK OF THE DAY IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE OF THE STATUS CALL MADE BY OUR FORMER REGIME. THEY DINT MIND ABOUT US ALL THEY CARED WAS THERE STOMACH THATS WHY THE LABOUR MOVEMENT ALSO BECAME CORRUPT LIKE THE LEONARD HIKAUMBA AND HIS SECRETARY ROY MWABA THEY KNOW WHAT THEY DID TO BE IN THOSE POSITION BY SACRIFICING THE CURRENT DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR HON MBULU. IT WAS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE. THEY THOUGHT WE WERE ALL BLIND LIKE THEY WERE. YOU CALL FOOL SOME PEOPLE SOMETIME BUT YOU CANT FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME. MR PRESIDENT SATA YOU HAVE HEARD SDV SITUATION.
mbonga

December 16, 2011 at 8:35 am

i remember very well mr.sata toked of cleasing
zambia and this and many others that fackson should
concentrate on,especially in transporting companies
like here in makeni.ZICA on the other hand is rubbish for lack of a better term.
mwine mushi

December 16, 2011 at 8:37 am

work permits whats the criteria used??
can someone please educate me
and what are the consequences of been a financial director,manager,driver yet you applied for a volunteer permit??
reality

December 16, 2011 at 8:44 am

i have personally worked with this mzungu called Tracey Bremner.she is a hard worker and makes sure work is done for the benefit of a company,why blame her if the job is being done!it is not good to insult or judge a person by reading articles in papers but to hear both sides to a story.someone obviously has not been or is not doing their job at SDV and is useless at what they do and has turned to crime online!there is a lot of racial comments here and this is not the zambia that I know of since I was born.if we are a christian nation and read the bible then let’s live by it and not cause unnecessary hate for people who just want to earn a honest living!I think this website needs to undesrtand what press freedom entails,its suppose to be the truth!so get actuall facts together before making false accusations!
malilisho

December 16, 2011 at 8:50 am

SDV for those of you who remember used to be called AMI. Its a leading Freight company. It was famously responsible for crating Dr. Kaunda’s Property when he left State House in 1991. Some ‘unscrupulous’(SP) went through Dr. Kaunda’s staff and reported that he had stolen some things from State House and the Government promptly sent operatives to go through Dr. Kaunda’s private property, a most embarrasing state of affairs for a Former head of state and father of the Nation.

As to the plight of the workers it is a daily fight to get one’s rights respected. The company is owned by Belgians (even rumours of the Belgian Royal family have been flouted). If indeed its owned the Royal family then hell, that is the family which had Declared The Congo a private estate for King Leopold and promptly dug up all the minerals for the King’s private fortune which is today estimated to be in the region of $70 Billion Dollars.

Now currently we are experiencing some sort of upswing and imports have started flowing into Zambia. SDV, is linked to Belgium where one of the biggest shipping hubs, the port of . It makes sense to use SDV in Zambia as this way the container can be returned to the owners in this case SDV.

If there was a deliberate policy by Government to have preffered logistics done by a firm other than SDV then that may have an impact. Also if perhaps the Minister of Labour, him/ her self went and met with Management to ascertain the status of employees. Also could the Owners or shareholders in Belgium allow for a Zambian top management team? Highly unlikely. They want to work with their own, let alone the language barrier as they speak French (flanders) and Flemish.

Lastly (indigenuos) Zambian firms, if there is such a thing can then opt not to use SDV owing to their poor Governance record. A dip in business may make them look at their governance policy.

There is what can be termed as “Work Apartheid” in Zambia where locals can never be paid handsomely unless you have political connections. Being paid well based on your qualifications alone is rare.
discusted

December 16, 2011 at 8:54 am

Becareful Mbonga insighting ethnic cleansing and racial hatred is a criminal offense. You also need to learn to spell. Becareful my fellow Zambians and think before we write. If we want to prove we are educated and capable we must prove ourselves
Failed PF govt

December 16, 2011 at 9:29 am

Same also at Global Logistics the colour detains the wage range.
Musonda Chibwe

December 16, 2011 at 9:34 am

ITS NOT ONLY SDV, OR WHITE BOSES EVEN OUR OWN ZAMBIAN BOSSES ARE SELFISH THEY JUST THINK OF THEM SELVES AND FORGETING LOW GRADE EMPLOYEES. ITS NOT EVERYONE WHO SHOULD HAVE DEGREES TO SURVIVE. SOME WANTED TO HAVE DEGREES BUT CIRCUMSTANCES THATS WHY THEY ENDED BEING WERE THEY ARE, BUT THATS NOT THE ISSUE WE ARE ALL ZAMBIANS WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TREATED EQUALLY. ITS NOT ONLY THOSE BOSSES WITH DEGREES WHO VOLTED. MR PRESIDENT WE ARE ASKING FROM YOU TO LOOK INTO THIS ISSUES.
MANKIND

December 16, 2011 at 9:39 am

SAD STORY INDEED. PLS PEOPLE WHY DO WE GET TREATED AS IF WE ARE IN A FOREIGN LAND AND YET TULI MUMYESU. LET US FOWARD ALL SUCH INJUSTICES TO RELEVANT GRZ OFFICES AM SURE ABALIMO KUTI BACHITAKO BETTER THAN BA MMD ABALI SANA CORRUPT.
ken

December 16, 2011 at 9:57 am

BRAVO
chula

December 16, 2011 at 10:26 am

@ Nelly you state that things are fair in the Uk, I’m not quiet sure what you’re on about because unless you follow or have an experience what is happening there you might not be able to understand what I meant in my earlier post. you go on to state that foreigners are judged by their qualifications, I don’t think that assumption bears witness for evryone. I’ll give you an example, I worked in a place were there were black suitable personel that had the qualifications, experience and hardworking more than the preferred new manager, but were sidelined from the post advertised and the job was given to an inexpereinces white person who had recently qualified and she was being taught by people who had been sidelined to do the same job and were literaly running the dept. Another example is of someone close to me who had attended a three day interview with two other people, but after the three days was told that he was the best candidate but because he did not have an EU passport he was not givent he job. Glad to say this hard working person in now holding a very high position in the UK. Another example is of a friend who lives in a EU country, has great qualifications but cannot find a job because he is black. the list is long @Kalok you state that I am making sweeping statements, I don’t it matters whether the job is high or low skilled. The fact still remains there are not many jobs going around at the moment and I mentioned that the press have been making inflamatory statements about foreign nationals taking all the jobs and the local people have no jobs and are on welfare benefits, the fact is there are no jobs for them. I still work for the establishment and continue to see this devide continuing and the current state of affairs in the Uk is shaky at the moment.
I may have digressed from the topic at hand but back to the topic at hand, it’s high time these wrongs in our country were corrected enough is enough. Its also time we stopped brandishing hard working zedians with the same brush as those who are wasters. @kalok we thank God that you reaping good rewards from your job and may you continue to work hard.
mweebo!!

December 16, 2011 at 11:10 am

ala most companies who have boers in front are pathetic. u make the money every month but look wat they give u. at least on top of our sad salaries should be a commission. apa so not even xmas bonus or xmas voucher. our contracts have no gratuity. its so painfull.
Mary

December 16, 2011 at 1:29 pm

Did you watch Kambili addressing chinese workers in Luanshya over those four child Defilers? All that maltitude of chinese have come to work as labourers,bricklayers,carpenters,accountant etc. Are we short of such manpower in the country? Where are are own going to work? How did Luanshya mine manage to get work permits for those multitudes? Country men, Let start to talk to our MPS AND LOBBY THEM TO PUT THINGS RIGHT IN ALL AREAS WHERE THEY ARE GOING WRONG NOT JUST LABOUR MATTERS. Mr Kambwili, whats your fone number I want to talk and lobby on injustices going on. I DEMAND THAT EACH MP SHOULD BE ON AN OPEN PHONE TO THE PUBLIC FOR COMMUNICATION WITH THE ELECTORATE. REMEMBER WHAT BOOTED OUT MMD WAS THEM NOT LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE. PF BE WARE?
MMY

December 16, 2011 at 6:40 pm

Zambians just talk and it ends there. In South Africa things are much better and the government supports previously disadvantaged individuals through a programme called BEE. And they are always demonstrating to air their views, to the extent of even demonstrating against the building of too many shopping malls in the suburbs which is leading to loss of tuntemba business. But Zambians just talk and do nothing.
concerned

December 16, 2011 at 6:58 pm

Alabane its not only bazunguz doing that evn govt insititutions like belvedere lodge where the manager is a miss know it all.she wants every one to dance 2 her tune.she wants to wek wth old timers with no qualifications whom she can easily manipulate.God deliver her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Expat

December 21, 2011 at 4:10 pm

I can partially agree with this article. However I have seen and not only in Zambia but elsewhere in Africa where Citizens refuse to accept senior positions because they are not prepared to accept the responsibilities that accompanies these roles. So it’s then best to stay where you are in your career and continue to grow in salary but not position. I am African and proud of it!!! I do not like to see fellow Africans being treated this way regardless of the colour of their skin. This being said, there are many other companies in Zambia who have less than zero feelings for the local staff and it is very sad to see that these are owned by either Chinese or Europeans of which some have since claimed citizenship by whichever way possible. I lived during the apartheid in South Africa and found it to have been the most unbelievably poorest treatment of Citizens in my life but to have experienced the current treatment that is found in Africa and the way people are being treated is shocking to say the least.
In my 20 years of working in the logistics sector I have found it to be common that “People will do business with people they like”, some of you may now know who I am as I have used this expression on many occasions. However what I have found is the dividing of colours is not so much based on racism but rather lack of knowledge of each other’s cultures and the lack of willingness to accept that we are all different in the way we are brought up and the way we are taught to treat people. We all have different Value Systems and this will not change no matter what we publish. The same will apply in the working environment, if you are accustomed to staff who perform in a certain manner then you will expect this from new and old staff. When this is not the case (and no fault of the locals, it’s a Value System) then they will look outside of what is perceived to be a poorer Value System and will employ people who fit the Value Criterea. I am not saying that they are right so please bare with me. The fault lies with the person who is not prepared to adjust his or her Value System to accommodate the requirements for what they are required.
I do not see this problem changing in the near future, it will continue to plague Africa as long as we require foreign investment. As long as local Government is not able to manage its budgets and control the expenditure of national funds we in Africa will rely on foreigners to invest and control. It is very sad to see how even in the African Traditional Cultures there is huge rivalry between different tribes and very little acceptance of each other’s Value Systems. We have Minerals, Fertile Land, Beautiful Wonders of the World and amazing Wild Life but yet we continue to allow Foreign Investors to come in and dictate to us what salaries we should earn, when we should be promoted and how long we can work for them on probation for? I know of staff who have worked on probation for years and are still being forced to sign contracts of probation.
I know of a Logistics Company in Ndola and discovered that this Italian origin person was paying the staff in the region of ZMK300 to ZMK350k per month. This company had around 70 staff on this low income and is proud to be the owner of a USD150 000-00 boat on Lake Tanganyika. Eager to take the family on chartered flights around Zambia, spend weekends at the lodge on the Kafue, take as many trips to South Africa as this person could do and yet the staff are on such low income structures. Needless to say my disgust and disrespect for this person has grown considerably. I am saying that this problem is not unique to SDV and do not understand why they have been the focal point of this discussion, it has very little to do with the White people who are brought in by management but more to do with management who are not willing to accept African Value Systems because they are European and want to feel like they have power. So for the likes of Tracey Bremner and Janice Sutherland who have been mentioned, they cannot be blamed for the situation. It starts with their BOSS.