Niël Terblanché
The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) has initiated a collective bargaining process with Trigon Metals’ Kombat Mine following the company’s plans to retrench 533 employees without prior union consultation.
MUN general secretary George Ampweya said on Wednesday that the union intervened after the Canadian company announced the retrenchments following flooding at the mine.
“We are pleased with Kombat Mine’s willingness to engage in an orderly collective bargaining process,” he said.
Ampweya said the negotiations will focus on severance packages, post-termination medical check-ups, and relocation benefits.
“Such conditions are important for a fair process and would not have been possible had the management persisted with its original stance of excluding the union from negotiations,” he said.
Ampwya advised the union’s members and the affected employees to exercise patience and provide continuous support and guidance to union leadership during these negotiations.
“While the matter has been set down with the office of the labour commissioner, it does not stop parties from further engaging to navigate these complex processes diligently to achieve a fair and balanced agreement for all parties involved,” he said.
Ampweya reaffirmed the MUN’s commitment to ensuring that the rights and well-being of the affected workers are upheld and that a fair resolution is achieved in light of the current operational challenges faced by Kombat Mine.
Trigon’s announcement this week that it intends to sell its 80% stake in the Kombat Mine to Horizon Corporation Limited under revised terms.
