PF youths from Munali Constituency, led by former Big Brother housemate, Max Chongu, on Friday descended on Chicago’s Bistro Lounge owner Savva Christofi, forcing him to pay a month’s salary to an employee he had fired last week.
The youths demanded that Christofi pays Kedrick Mweemba his K1,200 salary after he was fired for eating his lunch at a wrong time.
Business at the restaurant came to a standstill when the youths arrived in buses, singing praises for President Michael Sata and denouncing Christofi.
Upon arrival, the youths demanded to see Christofi’s business partner, only addressed as Spiro. Spiro was accused of firing Mweemba without pay.
After seeing that his customers had started leaving the restaurant, Christofi phoned plainclothes policemen from Manda Hill Police Post.
Upon arrival, the officers called Chongu by the side, to ask why the cadres were disturbing the operations of the restaurant.
Chongu, who did not want to be talked to in privacy, explained that a youth from Munali constituency was dismissed on flimsy reasons.
He insisted that the youths were only going to leave on condition that Mweemba was paid his salary and his dismissal explained.
Mweemba, a security officer at the restaurant, explained that he was having his supper at 22:00 hours because the kitchen was busy when he tried to have his meal earlier.
“We usually eat supper around 19:00 hours, but I could not eat at the time I should have eaten because the kitchen was busy,” Mweemba explained. “When I was finally given food to eat, Spiro found me eating and asked why I was eating that late. But before I could explain, he told me not to report for work, but just come and collect my salary, later. This is how they are. A lot of workers here are fired for no reason; all these workers you see here do not even have contracts. I have been coming here since last week, but he has not given me my salary. Even the NAPSA deductions are not remitted. When I went there, I was told that there is nothing.”
After about an hour of dramatic and chaotic scenes, Christofi instructed his accounts officer to bring Mweemba’s salary, as well as a pay slip.
Mweemba was paid a basic pay of K882.00, housing allowance of K378.00 and NAPSA deduction of K60.00
He was however handed K1,200.00 less K60.
And addressing Christofi and the onlookers, Chongu said the PF government was not going to accept ill-treatment of Zambians by foreign shop owners.
He accused Christofi of denting President Sata’s name by firing Zambian workers with impunity.
But Christofi denied having fired Mweemba.
Christofi said Mweemba had a personal difference with Spiro.
He said he was going to make a follow up with NAPSA to ascertain why monies remitted were not reflecting in their system as alleged by Mweemba.
He, however, promised to reinstate Mweemba and give him his contract.
PF Youth Max Chongo Force Restaurant Owner To Pay Fired Worker added by on
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Way to go guys. Keep up the good work! Nó tumachoncholi tonse kudilimunsha!! Nabadelela sána ába bákapala. Ngafiabunu fyena fimona kwati Zambia ni Northern Rhodesia yamufedulo… ngani mwenye ena nani uútamwishiba imisango yakwikalika abanakwe ubusha?
Excellent job MAX. We shall recruit you as our BOKO HARAM ZAMBIA REPRESNTAIVE. But do not abduct school girls.
If it can work for good go ahead than take long to wait for Hon.Shamenda
I think diplomacy would have worked better. If diplomacy fails you go to the labour office.This might just scare away potential investors.
chikala waba ilyobe mukanwa…epo abantu ba ambila dipulomaci tapaba eko itwala.viva max
Mutale, do you even follow events in Zambia?
No matter how wrong the restaurant owner was, it was not the responsibility of Mr Chongo and the PF cadres to get involved in the matter. There are labour laws and these should be respected. Their behaviour PF and cadres amounts to thuggery and should not be encouraged. The PF cadres should not the law into their own hands. What is the labour office doing ?
The thuggery should not be applauded but condemned. On the other hand these foreigners should be educated and told in all strongest terms to respect employees and they adhere to the labour laws of of our mother country -Zambia.
You have no human face, you’re a dracular that sucks human blood. How can’t you appreciate Chongo and the group you man???
How far do you go in your education ? Basic civics – there is no where it is written that PF cadres should take over government responsibility. What Chongo did is pure thuggery.
you are an I…..t
@Tribalist, you are just a PF cadre let us end it here, your language is repulsive and you can not hold a civilised debate and all what your head is full of are insults . Wait for 2016.
Labour laws are just on paper, mean while labour officers are as docile as you sir. That which you call “pure thuggery” worked wonders for the poor Mweemba. This is what carders should be doing, instead of fighting each other; enforcing law and order in our communities like in the days of UNIP.
chikala waba amatole ukubola,kale twa amba ukubeba aba bafikala pamisango bale tubofya,matters in our hands now
Your name should be umututu, not tutu. Because that’s what you are. It takes only a few fools like to…………….Wait for 2016. In what capacity Mwaamba ukubeba? After 2016 you will be on the sideline watching true promises be fulfilled by a progressive party.
MAX SHUD TAKE UP, THE JOB FOR SHAMENDA WHO IS DOING NOTHING FOR ZAMBIAN WORKERS DESPITE RECEIVING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS.
SHAMENDA HAS RECEIVED A LOT OF KICK BACKS ,THE ZEAL HE STARTED WITH HAS DIED OUT.
Gov has failed and they take too long to solve such matters our labor laws are not working keep it up Malcolm
Thats the way
As an infestor am going to start buying dollar and send to my country because this a warning that we are not safe any more. This country is becaming dangerous for us infestors.
Very soon it may be me for nothing but a mob of people wanting me to loss my infestment becuase one of them has a link with the party in power and some one wanting to make a name.
My friend who also works for an infestor company and a foreigner has informed his head office to request a tranfer to another country.
We hear there was a vigilante group during the one part state and it used to treat people badly in the of party. We infestors might be an easy target.
I fear for my infestment and I buy dollar before other infestors start doing same & before dollar rate goes up due to panic buying by us infestors.
I hope that you will also take a similar action against our own zambian employers including pf members. It is so easy to sensualise this action coz it is a foreighner and yet turn a blind eye to what black zambians are doing to thie fellow blacks.
Well spoken jamakudi, they should not just target non-PF and nonzero-Zambian. They look at what Honourable Kambwili as well .
@VMM
Labour Laws?
Who feeds Mweemba’s family as the lawyers argue it out for weeks and months in court?
Me am just impressed they even giv food. At least that is something. Na 1.2 as a guard? Wow.
malonda alelya supper. He will miss those meals and he will never be employed in zed. Blacklisted period
While not supporting lawlessnes, the idleness and failure of the Labour Minister and his officials to handle labour matters effectively leave much to be desired.
I am told there is a company in Kitwe, owned by Bates Namuyamba a former Minister in the MMD Government, which treats Kitwe employees differently from their Lusaka counter parts probably because complaints in Lusaka might reach state house quickly. Kitwe employees have the impression that the labour officers in Kitwe if not scared of the same guy, they are on his pay roll and give him the names of any employee that may go and complain.
What do you expect these workers to do faced with that problem? May be they need MAX for help, fi labour officer awe, mapwetete fye.
Vigilantes are back, more like in the days of KKs and UNIP. Its a pure sign that government has failed in terms of implementing government labour laws
In case you didn’t know why the kwacha is nose diving,this is one of the reasons.consequences,high prices on imports and we are an import supported economy.high costs of fuel,high business running costs,less recruitments of graduates,wage freeze,redundancies and company closures.tiye nayo, easy economics applying. I should do a thesis and my topic will be “the fall of a once strong economy” at one point the kwacha was stronger than a dollar as it 1:1 with a pound.
That’s the work of Labour Officers not PF cadres. Max find yourself something honourable to do. Can you imagine from Big Brother House to cadrerism.
@gentele, You are a true gentleman. These PF cadres cannot draw a line between govt and party. This, again, is due to lack of leadership from government.
KCM Indians should be next, they have been ill treating Miners especially women at Nchanga Mine smelter and corporate offices here in Chingola,we do not recieve Kampompo anymore
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