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Namibia: Negotiations Shaky After Skorpion Drops Bombshell
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New Era (Windhoek)
21 May 2008
Posted to the web 21 May 2008
Desie Heita
Windhoek
Mineworkers Union of Namibia suspended negotiations with Skorpion Zinc for a while on Monday afternoon after the mine dropped a bombshell by introducing a blanket condition that dashed hopes of signing the compromise agreement on salary and wage increment this week.
At the eleventh-hour the mine management introduced a new condition that the proposed offer given over the weekend is subject to the union co-signing the mine's exemption application from the payment of overtime on Sundays and any other hour worked after the normal 12-hour shift.
Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) put the negotiations on hold to consult with all its members on the next step. Nevertheless, the negotiations resumed on Tuesday morning but this time focusing on the blanket conditions introduced by the mine.
The new twist in the process pushed out of the balance the advanced progress achieved over the weekend, where the union and the mine management exchanged settlement agreements for each party to pore over with the hope of signing on the doted line anytime during the week.
"We were only informed on Monday morning that the entire offer, and not only the issue of transport, is subjected to the condition that the union co-sign the application of exemption to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare," said Michaelano Kadhikwa, branch chairman for the MUN in the south.
The weekend offer is of 12 percent increment in wages and salary and N$1780 in housing allowance. This is the initial offer by the mine, before it lowered it to 10 percent when the workers went on strike. The housing allowance was topped up with N$30 from N$1750.
This offer was to be effective on the signing date, as to an earlier offer of backdating it to March 1.
The union is demanding that the mine provide transport up to Windhoek for workers from other regions. Currently, transport is only available up to Keetmanshoop.
MUN president, Andries Eiseb, who was also present at the weekend negotiations, said the mine has made clear the conditional requisition for overtime exemption throughout the negotiations. However, the union has also made it clear that it will neither support a petition to the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare nor will it support such an application.
The union has taken the mine to the Labour Court over the non-payment of overtime since 2005.
The case is still pending. The union says by co-signing an exemption application their pending court case would be weakened.
Kadhikwa said the union was willing to withdraw some of the issues from the table and settle for an agreement on the increment on wages and salaries, return to work and pursue the other issues at a different platform.
The issue of transporting workers to Windhoek, was tied to the condition that the union submits written support, in a joint statement with the mine to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, to the mine's request to be exempt from paying overtime.
In the meantime, the spokesperson for Skorpion Zinc, Usi //Hoebeb, has responded to the allegations by the union that their members are striking under the scorching sun without provision of ablution facilities.
"We have provided them with PA system for music, a place for rest, ablution facilities and with three meals a day," //Hoebeb said.
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Eiseb and Kadhikwa said they could not say what is the next step, as that would pre-empt the consultative meeting with the members.
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