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Namibia: Union Ready to Sign
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New Era (Windhoek)
19 May 2008
Posted to the web 19 May 2008
Desie Heita
The strike at Skorpion Zinc Mine might end today as the union says it is ready to sign a compromise agreement with the mine management, although with some uneasiness.
After almost two weeks of picketing, and burning midnight oil negotiations, the union says it is considering signing a compromise agreement of 12 percent increment in wages and salary, as well as N$1780 in housing allowance.
This is far from the demand of 14 percent increase demanded by the union but it is much better than the initial offer of 10 percent from the mine management. The housing allowance increased with N$30 from N$1750 offered earlier.
The mine has also agreed, in principle, to transport workers to Windhoek but on certain conditions.
The strike has also started to take its toll on the picketing workers who have stood their ground in the burning sun without showers and ablution facilities, 25 km outside Rosh Pinah.
On Sunday afternoon Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) and Skorpion Zinc were still in tight negotiations in a rush to reach a compromise over the details of the proposed agreement.
"We are flexible enough. If only the mine management could be as flexible as well. By all things we could sign the proposed agreement tonight or tomorrow morning and call off the strike," said Simon Nambodi, MUN Deputy branch chairman for the south.
The two are seeking a compromise on the effectiveness of the increment and on the pending Labour Court case over the payment of overtime, something the mine has not done since 2005.
The mine has initially offered an increment backdated to March 1. In the proposed agreement, the increment is effective from the date of signing. The mine management has also offered transport to workers from Windhoek, but only on condition that the union submits written support, in a joint statement with the mine to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, that Skorpion Zinc be exempt from paying overtime on Sundays and on the extra three hours of a 12-hour shift.
"Such a submission is likely to weaken the court case we have against the mine over the issue of non-payment of overtime," said Nambodi.
MUN said the mine has had an upper hand during negotiations because it had employed subcontractors to keep production going. The union has tried to block contractors from entering the mine, but had to stop after the mine had a court order urging the union to refrain from blocking the subcontractors.
The court order was delivered on Saturday. The law enforcement also ordered the picketing workers to position themselves 30 metres from the gates.
"What happened is very bad. The strike did not put the mine under any pressure at all," said Nambodi.
MUN said it would also see if it could negotiate some sort of payment for the days lost during the strike. The mine has applied a no-work-no-pay policy during the strike.
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"In the end our mandate from workers has not been fully implemented," said Nambodi.
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