“You'll Be Fired if You Refuse” - Human Rights Watch

and international labor standards. We recognize the enormous investment that CNMC has
made in Zambia: NFCA reopened a long dormant mine; CNMC’s purchase of Luanshya Mine
kept it from closing; and Chambishi Copper Smelter is a state-of-the-art smelting operation.
We also acknowledge the current expansion these companies are undertaking that will add
even more jobs. Many of our interviewees expressed gratitude for this. However, many also
complained about poor labor conditions. Below are some of our main findings.
Health and Safety Practices
Our findings show that the CNMC-run mines appear to have poor safety practices compared to
other copper mining operations in Zambia, leading to unnecessary injuries and health
problems. Miners at China Luanshya Mine, for example, described how when CNMC took over
from the previous investor, the safety practices changed considerably for the worse. Members
of the CNMC companies’ safety departments describe safety officers as having no authority over
Chinese managers to prevent workers from working in areas that miners and safety officers
consider to be unsafe. Miners told Human Rights Watch that if they refuse to work because of
credible danger, the Chinese managers threaten to fire them. Such threats appear to have been
acted on in several cases and, in others, workers have been marked “absent” on days they
worked full shifts but considered a specific job too dangerous to continue.
We documented instances where such practices have led directly to accidents, including
rock falls, that have resulted in serious injuries, long-term health consequences, and even
death. While the CNMC-run mines are not unique in suffering accidents, the safety practices
appear worse than those in copper mining operations run by other multinationals, according
to our interviews with miners at all of these mines.
A related problem is the apparent deliberate practice at NFCA, CCS, and Sino Metals to
underreport accidents to the Zambian government’s Mines Safety Department. Miners and
safety officers who spoke to Human Rights Watch described being bribed and threatened by
Chinese managers so as to not report accidents. While those interviewed said that deaths
and other serious injuries were deemed impossible to hide, they provided strong
information that CNMC-run companies have sought to cover up other injuries by paying off
workers or threatening to fire people for reporting them.
Miners who spoke to Human Rights Watch also said that NFCA and Sino Metals refuse to
replace personal protective equipment (PPE) before the completion of their department’s
timeframe elapses, even when the PPE is damaged sufficiently during work to pose risks of
injury or health consequences. Miners at mines run by other multinationals described
almost no difficulty in having their company replace PPE damaged during work, as did
miners at NFCA’s sister company, China Luanshya Mine. A comparison to the other
multinationals’ copper mines likewise shows that some PPE pieces, like respirators, are not
provided to miners when they should be at NFCA and Sino Metals.
Shift Lengths
Our report will also highlight hours that miners must work at CNMC-run companies. At Sino
Metals, some departments force workers to work 365 days a year, without a day off. Other
departments of Sino Metals work 12-hour shifts, six days a week. At CCS, workers also work 12-
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