11 January 2008
Maputo — The workers at the Mozambique Fertiliser Company (MFC) in the central province of Manica, closed last week by the Labour Ministry for serious violations of the country's labour legislation, claim that the chemicals they worked with affected their breathing, their eyes and their hands.
According to a report in Friday's issue of the independent weekly "Savana", MFC has no premises of its own but is operating out of an old warehouse for wagons and locomotives, in the town of Gondola, rented out by the port and rail company CFM. The bulk chemicals are exposed to the elements, and the wind frequently carries them to the eyes and mouths of the workers. The company did not bother to provide them with face masks or any other protective equipment.
When it rains, water enters the warehouse through the roof and walls. The floor ends up covered in a mess of mud and wet chemicals - which the workers tread through barefoot, since they have no boots. The workers say that the chemicals irritate their hands, their throats and their eyes.
"Savana" corroborates a report by another weekly paper, "Magazine Independente", that at least two workers have died after exposure to the chemicals. They both complained of respiratory problems before their death.
Antonio Manuel, father of one of the dead workers, named as Rabson Manuel, told "Savana" that his 45 year old son never had any health problems before he was hired by MFC.
The paper was told that a further 15 workers received medical treatment at Gondola District hospital, after displaying similar symptoms. A medical team is looking into the causes of these problems.
Under normal conditions, fertilisers would not be dangerous. But MFC did not provide normal conditions. Instead, conditions inside the factory allowed prolonged contact between the chemicals and workers' skins, and with the fertilizers wafted into the air the workers, without any face masks, could hardly avoid inhaling them.
It is not yet clear exactly which fertilsers were being made in the factory, but one of those mentioned by "Savana" is muriate of potash (MOP). A safety sheet for this type of fertilizer warns that it can cause eye irritation, and redness and itching to skin. If large amounts are swallowed, MOP could cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats.
Workers handling MOP are advised to wear goggles, PVC gloves, long sleeved shirts and long trousers to avoid contact with the fertilizer. None of this was made available by MFC.
Who owns MFC ? According to the deed establishing the company, published in Mozambique's official gazette, the "Boletim da Republica", last September, the majority shareholder, with a stake of 66.5 per cent, is the Seychelles registered company Avignon Holdings Ltd.
Seychelles is a tax haven, with remarkably lax company registration rules. Seychelles law allows what are essentially fictitious companies to be established there for tax purposes. Avignon Holdings arouses suspicion because, although it was supposedly set up in 2002, it has left no trail on the Internet. It has no web site of its own, and there is no record of any other activity it has undertaken.
The minority shareholder, with 33.5 per cent of the shares, is V & M Grain. Although based in the Manica provincial capital, Chimoio, this is a South African owned company. It is a marketing company which has taken over 10 grain warehouses, once owned by the Mozambican state in the central and northern provinces. It claims to buy between 30,000 and 35,000 tonnes of crops a year from peasant farmers.
The V & M website claims the company it is "able to procure, package and ship large orders of humanitarian aid supplies that are usually required in grief stricken areas within Africa."
When MFC was registered, V&M was represented by a Chimoio lawyer, Nelson Baptista, and Avignon holdings by a former Manica director of the state security service, SISE, Zeca Esmael, who is also administrator of the MFC factory.
"Savana" suspected that Avignon was just a cover for Mozambican politicians who did not want to make their connection with MFC public. The paper claimed that one of these shadowy figures "occupies an important position in the current government", and that another used to be a senior customs official.
But when the paper contacted Esmael he denied that anybody in the current government is linked to MFC. He admitted the company's failings, which he blamed on "our ignorance", and also on the provincial authorities for failing to advise MFC correctly.
He claimed that before the company opened it was inspected by the labour, health and trade authorities, and was therefore surprised that a few weeks later a further inspection resulted in the company being fined and shut down.
"I think it's unjust", said Esmael. "There are companies in a worse situation, and they're not being attacked".
MFC can only reopen once it has corrected a list of 22 offences discovered by the labour and health inspectors, and paid a fine of 200,000 meticais (about 8,000 US dollars). The company must provide all its 150 workers with written contracts, and record (and pay for) overtime. It must provide medical inspections, a first aid post, and insurance for the workers. It must also give them protective clothing, and pay contributions to the National Social Security Institute (INSS).
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