Workers of the August 26 company currently constructing the Schuckumannsburg Combined School Hostel in Luhonono in the Kabbe North Constituency are on a work stoppage because of unresolved grievances.

The grievances include the non-implementation of the minimum wage, the deduction of work gear, and poor accommodation.

Workers are housed in spaces with no ventilation, prompting them to look for other housing options.

The Northern Regional Coordinator for the Metal and Allied Workers Union, Richard Musohwa, emphasised that consultations and attempts to resolve the issues with management have been ongoing since February.

"We used to receive positive agreements to say they were going to improve the condition of employment, and when we are gone, the situation is still the same. However, we demanded to communicate with the project director, and we were given the name of Madam Masah, Colonel Masah, who is the head of this project. We tried to communicate with her by sending emails and grievances to propose a meeting at the site, but there has been no reply from her until now."

The workforce, made up of 106 employees, is meant to be completing the Shuckumannsburg Combined School Hostel, which will accommodate learners from flood-prone areas of Kabbe North and South.

The project had been abandoned and delayed for over five years before the current contract was given to August 26 in September last year.

Reached for comment, the site manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that none of the workers' salaries were deducted, as uniforms are provided for by the company every six months.

He also said that accommodation complaints stem from workers employed locally who now find their villages too far away to commute to work daily.

The site manager also stated that the minimum wage issue had been discussed but could only be addressed by one of the company directors, who is expected to be at the site on Wednesday.