Staff Writer
The Mine Workers Union of Namibia (MUN) has threatened to take legal action against China National Nuclear Corporation Rössing Uranium (CNNC), the owners of Rössing Uranium if it does not reverse or engage with the union on its decision to withdraw benefits previously afforded to the company employees over the past 32 years.
CNNC through its subsidiary China National Uranium Corporation Limited acquired Rio Tinto’s 69 percent majority stake in Rössing Uranium for about N$1,5 billion in July last year.
In its letter, written by lawyers Metcalfe Beukes Attorneys on its behalf, the union accused the miner of unilateral suspending monthly consultative meetings between itself and the company management and ceased Shop steward training a month after it concluded the acquisition of the Rössing Uranium mine.
The Chinese mine owners are alleged to have withdrawn the right of the union to make statements to the media regarding employee related issues and also changed the name company to China National Nuclear Corporation Rössing Uranium.
“You are humbly requested to advise whether China National Nuclear Corporation Rössing Uranium is willing to enter into discussions with our clients in order to solve and remove the present acrimonious industrial relations which have been artificially created by CNNC Rössing Uranium.”
MUN has accused the new mine owners of appointing Chinese nationals to three senior positions and also as alternate board members in the mining company. They claim that the company make these appointments without following normal Namibian recruitment procedures that provide for these positions to be advertised. In addition, no Namibian understudies were appointed to work with the foreign nationals in these technical positions.
The new owners of the former Rössing mine have also been accused of retrenching Namibian workers, outsourcing their roles to Chinese companies operating in Namibia. One such company is Beifang Mining Technology Services.
“Of further horrific concern to our client is that a pattern is emerging of retrenching Namibian employees at CNNC’s subsidiary company RUL and outsourcing the retrenched employees work to Chinese companies operating in Namibia on Rössing mine. This is what has happened to blasters and drillers …This is a pattern used by Chinese corporate entities which can no longer be concealed in Namibia,” the letter from Metcalfe Beukes Attorneys read.
Rössing Uranium Limited Managing Director, Johan Coetzee dismissed the allegations as, “unfounded and unverified allegations.”
“Rössing Uranium Limited acknowledges that elected Union Leadership should fearlessly pursue the interest of the members they represent. However, this should be no license to resort to conduct that subverts orderly collective bargaining. This includes issuing public statements that are in contravention of the undertakings of the Procedural Agreement. In particular there is a problem when such statements are made with the clear intent to deceive, mislead, incite and cause reputational harm to the name and the image of the Company and its investors.”
Coetzee, however, maintained Procedural Agreement signed in 1988 between the company and workers remained in place.
“We see the above allegations in a very serious light and will address this in accordance with the internal procedures and the various remedies available under the existing Procedural Agreement between the MUN and Rössing Uranium Limited, which has remained in place and valid since 1988,” he said.
Labour ministry Executive Director, Bro-Matthew Shinguadja said, “We have seen the letter from the lawyers but the letter does not mention what the issues are, that’s the problem. We are trying to get in touch with the MUN, so that they can exactly tell us what the issue is. Only once we get in touch with them, can we be sure what’s going on and if whether it’s a labour issue or a discrimination issue.”
