Supervisors at Chinese owned mine in Zambia shoot miners at protest over pay and conditions.

Left: Zambia: Anti-Chinese protest  during 2006 election.

It seems that the Chinese bureaucracy has more to worry about than just striking Honda workers. 

Some 11 Zambian miners were shot last Friday while protesting conditions at the Collum Coal Mine in Southern Zambia; two of them critically according to reports.

It appears that workers were protesting low pay and horrendous conditions when shots were fired by two of the mines Chinese supervisors. Locals responded with militant protests in support of the miners including blocking a mine entrance road.

The two supervisors have been arrested and local officials are attempting to calm things down. “The miners attacked the employees” (the supervisors), a spokesperson for the mining company said and promised that the company would pay the hospitable bills. He claimed not to know why the miners attacked their supervisors other than some of the miners were “misguided”. Attacking, kidnapping and even killing bosses and factory owners in China over horrendous working conditions has been a fairly widespread phenomenon, Zambian workers are no different neither are the bosses’ explanations for such behavior: workers are simply “misguided”. It’s sort of similar, although on a much more severe scale, to the reasons Labor officials gave in San Francisco as to why workers voted against concessions lowering their living standards, they were “confused”. It seems that employers and top Union officials alike don't seem to think we can make an intelligent decision about anything.


The increase in the Chinese presence throughout Africa (and indeed he world) is well known and there have been numerous complaints from workers and Union leaders about the low wages and unsafe conditions at Chinese owned mines in Africa. One issue in this case is the issuing of arms to supervisors and them carrying them at the mine says Rayford Mbulu, President of the Miners Union of Zambia. “We don’t care what investments the Chinese are bringing in to the country. We cannot allow them to shoot miners like that.” he says.

The Chinese bureaucracy has no doubt learned some lessons from the experience of the western capitalist class; they are definitely somewhat more astute and, after all, they’ve read Marx many of them so I would assume they have a much more well-rounded understanding of how capitalism works.

In order to counter accusations of neo-colonialism and exploitation by a foreign giant, the Chinese bureaucracy repeatedly raises its credentials as a former victim of colonialism which makes it a kinder, gentler exploiter. But we don’t have to look any further than its own shores to see how it treats workers. There have been major clashes and anti-Chinese riots in Zambia and other parts of Africa in opposition to what many see as simply another colonial power stealing Africa's wealth.  One Zambian opposition candidate opposed to the increased Chinese presence referred to them as "exploiters" and accused them of turning Zambia in to a "dumping ground". 

This would be the explanation the Chinese bosses give for the need for firearms I suppose.  The supervisors weren’t issued firearms to protect Zambian workers, the workers are not stupid and recognize the new colonialism for what it is.

In the end the boss is the boss.