就業與衝突:贊比亞礦山的中國投資迷思

Billions of dollars in investment from China has thrown a lifeline to Zambia's ailing mines, but the money has also brought new problems, as Zambian miners at Chinese ventures complain about safety, low pay and workplace conflicts that have spiraled into a spate of shootings.

中國數以十億美元計的投資給贊比亞陷入困境的礦山扔下了一條救命繩，但這些投資也帶來了新的問題：在中資企業工作的贊比亞礦工抱怨不安全、工資低以及工作中發生衝突等問題。這些不滿不斷髮酵，已經導致一系列槍擊案的發生。

The Zambian government is investigating the latest clash, on Aug. 4, when rioting workers at a coal mine in southern Zambia killed a 50-year old Chinese supervisor, running him over with a mining cart. Two other Chinese managers were injured in the violence at Collum Coal mine─a locally-registered but Chinese-owned company─and 16 Zambians were arrested. Zambian officials and a Collum executive blame the revolt on a misunderstanding as to when a minimum-wage increase would take effect, increasing monthly salaries to $230 from $150.

贊比亞政府正在調查發生在8月4日的最新一起衝突。當天贊比亞南部科藍煤礦(Collum Coal Mine)的礦工發生暴動，期間用手推車輾死了一名50歲的中國籍監工。另有兩名中國經理在暴亂中受傷，16名贊比亞人被捕。科藍煤礦在贊比亞註冊，但老闆是中國人。贊比亞官員和科藍煤礦一位高管認爲，發生暴亂的原因在於工人對最低工資上調（從每月150美元調至230美元）何時生效產生了誤解。

At the same mine, in 2010, Chinese managers shot at least 13 striking coal miners. Two managers spent several months in jail and the company paid about $80,000 in total to the victims, all of whom survived.

2010年在同一座煤礦，中方經理開槍，至少擊中13名罷工的礦工。兩位經理入獄數月，公司共向受害者賠償約8萬美元。此次事件中沒有受害者死亡。

Tensions arising from these incidents, and government-mandated pay increases, have led some at Collum to question whether Zambia is still a good place to invest. 'If costs get too high, Zambia will be hurt,' says a Chinese executive at Collum who didn't want to be identified discussing such politically sensitive issues. 'Investors will think about going to other countries.'

這些事件引發的矛盾，以及政府強制要求的工資上漲，讓科藍煤礦的一些人士懷疑贊比亞是否還是一個理想的投資目的地。科藍煤礦的一位中國高管說，如果成本太高，贊比亞會受到傷害，投資者會考慮去別的國家。因爲所談話題在政治上敏感，這位高管不願公開身份。

Zambia is one of Africa's biggest recipients of Chinese investment, and the bulk of the capital goes to the mining sector─copper in the north and coal in the south. But officials are struggling to contain mounting aounting anger among miners, who accuse China of exploiting Zambia's resources and taking advantage of its workers. The worker hostility has tested Zambia's ties with China, foreshadowing challenges for other African governments doing business with the continent's No. 1 trading partner and investor.

贊比亞是中國在非洲最大的投資目的地之一，多數資金都進入了礦業部門，包括北部地區的銅礦和南部地區的煤礦。但礦工指責中國掠奪贊比亞資源、剝削贊比亞工人，怒火越燒越旺，政府很難控制。礦工的敵意考驗着贊比亞與中國的關係，且讓人看到，非洲其他國家跟這個大洲最大的貿易伙伴與投資者做生意，將會遇到怎樣的挑戰。

'The Chinese are just here to make a profit, to make their country rich,' says Paul Kameya, a 25-year-old miner at NFCA Mining, the Zambian unit of China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co. Ltd. The parent company controls a mine, smelter and a bulk of the business activity in the dry shrub-land of Chambishi, home of a new investment zone that hosts several other Chinese companies in Zambia's northern Copperbelt province. 'We are slaves in our own country.' says Mr. Kameya.

25歲的礦工卡米亞(Paul Kameya)在中國有色礦業集團有限公司(China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co. Ltd.)旗下的贊比亞公司NFCA Mining工作。他說，中國人到這裏只爲掙錢，爲他們自己的國家發財。中國有色礦業集團在謙比希(Chambishi)乾旱的灌木叢地帶擁有一座礦山、一座精煉廠，並控制着當地的大部分經濟活動。謙比希位於北方的銅帶省，這裏剛剛建了一個投資園區，已有另外多家中資企業入駐。卡米亞說，我們在自己的國家成了奴隸。

Worker unrest is just one of the challenges stemming from China's growing presence in Africa─its citizens have become targets for criminals and rebels seeking to settle scores. In July, Chinese and Angolan police broke up a number of criminal gangs that had been involved in armed robbery, human trafficking and prostitution. Earlier this year, rebels abducted 29 Chinese workers in Sudan, creating a rift with one of China's top oil suppliers.

工人騷亂只是中國在非洲日益增長的影響力引發的問題之一，在這裏，中國公民已經成爲犯罪分子和叛亂分子尋釁的目標。今年7月，中國和安哥拉警方粉碎了一系列參與武裝搶劫、販賣人口和賣淫活動的犯罪團伙。今年早些時候，叛亂分子在蘇丹綁架了29名中國工人，導致該國與中國一家重要石油供應商的關係出現裂痕。

The influx of Chinese entrepreneurs has rankled ordinary Africans, too. In Zambia, politicians complain that Chinese chicken farmers are squeezing out locals in the competition to supply restaurants and corporate canteens.

中國企業家的大批涌入也激起了非洲普通人的怨恨。在贊比亞，一些政府官員抱怨，中國的養雞戶搶了當地人爲餐館和企業食堂供貨的生意。

Last year, Zambian President Michael Sata defeated incumbent Rupiah Banda, partly by gaining blue-collar support for criticizing Chinese investment practices. In earlier campaigns, he threatened to deport Chinese investors, sever ties with China and recognize its archrival Taiwan. He has done none of those things since being elected, but has instead welcomed China's investment, so long as Chinese firms respect local labor laws.

去年，贊比亞總統薩塔(Michael Sata)擊敗了在任總統班達(Rupiah Banda)，部分原因在於他通過批評中國在贊比亞的投資獲得了藍領工人的支持。在更早的競選活動中，他曾威脅遣返中國投資者，與中國斷交，承認臺灣政府的主權。自從當選之後，這些事一件也沒有兌現，相反，他歡迎中國的投資，前提是中國公司尊重當地的勞動法規。

In July, Zambia raised the minimum wage for different work classes by 67% on average. The aim was to create better-paying jobs for locals and a level playing field for investors, say Zambian officials.

今年7月，贊比亞提高了不同工種的最低工資水平，平均增幅達67%。贊比亞官員說，這麼做的目的是爲當地人提供收入更好的工作，讓投資者在平等的平臺上競爭。

'We have to be mindful these people need a living wage,' says Robert Sichinga, minister of commerce, trade and industry. 'If it reduces the number of jobs, it means the jobs were poor quality anyways.'

贊比亞商業、貿易與工業部部長西欽加(Robert Sichinga)說，我們必須記住這些人需要能夠維持生活的工資，如果最低工資水平提高令工作的數量減少，這就意味着這些工作原本就不是什麼好工作。

China's ambassador has warned the wage increase threatened Chinese enterprises, according to local newspaper reports. The Chinese Embassy in Zambia declined interview requests. An embassy statement following the recent clash at Collum coal mine, which led to the death of the Chinese manager, called for Chinese companies 'to abide by the law and regulations of the land' and urged Zambian officials 'to take concrete measures to protect the safety and security and the legitimate rights of the Chinese business community.'

當地報紙報道，中國駐贊比亞大使警告說，上調最低工資水平威脅到了中國的企業。中國駐贊比亞大使拒絕了採訪請求。最近導致中國一名監工死亡的科藍煤礦衝突發生之後，中國駐贊比亞大使館發表聲明，要求中國企業遵守當地法律法規，敦促贊比亞官員採取切實行動保護中國商業團體的安全、生活保障和合法權益。

Beijing bristles at criticism it has followed in the footsteps of European colonialists to extract Africa's resource riches. Officials point to flagship projects that bolstered the economic independence of African countries and cemented friendly ties. Chinese engineers and workers, for example, toiled in the early 1970's on a railway linking a port in Tanzania with Zambia's copper-rich northern region.

中國政府對於有關中國跟隨歐洲殖民者的腳步榨取非洲資源的指責感到惱火。中國官員舉出了一些曾有助於非洲國家經濟獨立和加強友好關係的旗艦項目的例子。例如，上世紀70年代早期，中國的工程師和工人曾歷盡艱辛完成了一個連接坦桑尼亞港口和贊比亞銅礦資源豐富的北部地區的鐵路項目。

Today, companies from China are making a deep impact in the same place.

如今，中國企業正在同一地區發揮深層次的影響。

The Zambia Development Agency says China Nonferrous alone has invested some $2 billion in the country. Its mines have often maintained a full workforce even when they weren't active, according to Zambian officials. Chinese officials say 10,000 jobs for Zambians have come from China's mining and infrastructure investments in the country.

贊比亞發展署(Zambia Development Agency)說，單是中國有色集團就在贊比亞投資了大約20億美元。贊比亞官員說，即使是在淡季，中國有色集團所投資的礦也常常出現工人數量滿員的情況。中國官員說，中國對該國礦業和基礎設施的投資給贊比亞人創造了1萬個就業機會。

Yet safety regulators have hit the Zambian units of China Nonferrous with a series of fines for infractions and clashes with workers has marred its local reputation. Early on, miners lacked boots, goggles and ear protection, according to Brighton Kateka, chief inspector of machinery at the Mines Safety Department, under Zambia's Ministry of Mines. He says safety at the Chinese-owned mines has since improved.

但贊比亞安全監管部門以違規以及與工人發生衝突爲由給中國有色集團贊比亞分支機構開出的一系列罰單損害了該公司在當地的聲譽。贊比亞礦業部下屬礦山安全處首席機械監察員卡特卡(Brighton Kateka)說，早期，礦工缺少防護靴、護目鏡及護耳等勞保設備。他說中資煤礦的安全條件自那以後有所改善。

'When the Chinese first came, they didn't know the laws of Zambia. We found it difficult to work with them,' said Mr. Kateka, himself a former NFCA miner.

卡特卡說，中國人剛來的時候不瞭解贊比亞法律，我們發現很難與他們合作。卡特卡此前也是NFCA Mining的一名礦工。

In 2005, an explosion at a company associated with China Nonferrous killed more than 40 workers, said Mr. Kateka, one of the industry's most deadly accidents.

卡特卡說，2005年，中國有色集團附屬的一家公司發生爆炸，40多名工人遇難。這成爲該行業傷亡最大的事故之一。

The next year, six Zambians were shot by 'mine personnel' in Chambishi, police said, without specifying whether they were Chinese or Zambians. The incident followed a protest at the living quarters of Chinese managers.

贊比亞警方說，2006年在謙比希有六名贊比亞人被“礦上職員”槍殺。不過警方沒有說明兇手是中國人還是贊比亞人。此事發生後，中方管理人員的生活區發生了一起抗議活動。

Late last year, the Chambishi unit of China Nonferrous Metals was forced to rehire 1,000 miners it had fired to during a wage strike. The move came after mediation between the Zambian government and unions.

去年年底，中國有色集團謙比希分支機構被迫重新僱用1,000名此前因在要求漲薪而發生的罷工中被解僱的礦工。贊比亞政府和工會之間此前曾進行過調解。

Executives at China Nonferrous units in Chambishi declined interview requests and a spokesman at the company's Beijing headquarters declined to respond to written questions.

中國有色集團謙比希分支機構負責人拒絕接受採訪，中國有色集團北京總部發言人拒絕回答記者的書面提問。

Some Zambian union leaders say language gaps and culture clashes are as much to blame for labor frictions as wage differences. Zambian miners dozing in their carts have been doused with pots of water; others have been penalized for arriving to work 10 minutes late; and once when a forklift broke down, three Chinese workers took up the load as Zambians stood by, believing it was too heavy, according to Sikufela Mundia, president of the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers.

贊比亞一些工會領導人說，除工資差異外，語言差異以及文化衝突也是造成勞資矛盾的重要原因。贊比亞國家礦工及聯合工人工會(National Union of Miners and Allied Workers)主席蒙迪亞(Sikufela Mundia)說，在手推車內打個盹的贊比亞礦工會被潑上幾盆水；也有人因爲上班遲到10分鐘而受到處罰；有一次，一輛叉車發生故障，三名中國工人扛起了貨物，而贊比亞礦工則在一邊旁觀，因爲他們認爲貨物過重。

The Chinese managers wanted the workers reprimanded for wasting time, but Mr. Mundia says the heavy load presented a safety issue. He says the two sides resolved their differences.

中方管理人員會因爲工人浪費時間而對其進行訓斥，但蒙迪亞說，讓工人負重載會帶來安全問題。他說後來雙方解決了分歧。

'The way the Chinese work is a bit strange to us,' he says.

蒙迪亞說，中國人的工作方式在我們看來有點不習慣。

Mr. Kameya, the copper miner, says Zambians in the area will continue to go to work at Chinese-owned mines as that is where most of the new jobs are. The rock blaster says his pay of $390 a month isn't sufficient to support his wife and young daughter, but if he asks for a raise, he worries he'll be fired.

在銅礦工作的礦工卡米亞說，該地區的贊比亞人還是會繼續到中資礦企工作，因爲大多數的新就業機會來自這裏。卡米亞說，他的薪水爲每月390美元，不足以養活妻子和年幼的女兒，但如果要求加薪，他擔心自己會被解僱。

'The job is OK,' he says. 'The conditions are not OK.'

卡米亞說，工作還成，但工作環境不行。