{"id":424040,"date":"2011-05-14T13:08:34","date_gmt":"2011-05-14T13:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/14\/namibia-union-calls-for-a-paradigm-shift-within-the-mining-industry\/"},"modified":"2011-05-14T13:08:34","modified_gmt":"2011-05-14T13:08:34","slug":"namibia-union-calls-for-a-paradigm-shift-within-the-mining-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/14\/namibia-union-calls-for-a-paradigm-shift-within-the-mining-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Namibia: Union Calls for a Paradigm Shift Within the Mining Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

\"Namibia<\/a><\/p>\n

Johanna Absalom<\/p>\n

13 May 2011<\/p>\n

\n

President of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), John Ndeutepo, says that in order to create a conducive labour environment for workers in the mining sector, there is a need for a paradigm shift.<\/p>\n

Ndeutepo said in order to avoid labour disputes between workers and employers, players in the sector should all see the world the same way, hence the need for a paradigm shift.<\/p>\n

“A trade union is then a very important partner in the business to motivate and increase productivity of a company through bargaining in unifying common objectives,” he said. However, a number of companies have waged a war against trade unions with a view that unions are bad for business. “Therefore, companies try by all means to prevent its employees from being organised. Some even deny them their rights to freedom of association. It is a proven fact that one cannot make people work any longer; you will need to motivate workers in order for them to perform,” Ndeutepo added.<\/p>\n

He said that the mining labour sector is faced with great challenges that calls for urgent change. One such challenge is the ability of unions to address labour issues involving contract and agency labour cases.<\/p>\n

According to Ndeutepo, this phenomenon is rearing its ugly face again.<\/p>\n

“A lot of mining companies are at it to exploit people together with the minerals. They either employ people on fixed term contracts or outsource certain functions of their business simply to reduce labour costs,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This practice results in poverty jobs where employees of these contractors sometimes earn as little as 20% of the basic salary offered by the Eastern Platinum (EPL) holder for the same job. Government through beneficiary and empowerment programmes have encouraged outsourcing by multi nationals companies but has not properly legislated this process to prevent ulterior motives. Hence the mineworkers union is fighting a bitter battle to stop this practice. As it stands now citizens of the state are being exploited together with minerals of the state.”<\/p>\n

Another concern that Ndeutepo said needs urgent attention is health and safety.<\/p>\n

“Quite a significant number of mining companies are paying a lot of attention on legislated safety paperwork but there is no practical attention. A lot of companies boast about their safety systems forgetting that these systems require maintenance and application from the people.”<\/p>\n

Ndeutepo therefore urged mining companies to engage workers and have their input. “If the input of the people are not considered in the implementation and design of safety systems, a mine will never be safe and we can now start singing whose blood waters our profits. The worst case scenario is, when workers stand up on safety issues, it is regarded as a substantive demand. Some multi national companies do not even bother to monitor adherence especially when it comes to contractors and they even end up corrupting compliance officials,” he said.<\/p>\n

Ndeutepo also called for the recognition of unions in the sector. He said that a lot of companies cannot yet get any returns from this relationship as they view the union as an enemy.<\/p>\n

He describes the relationship between the union and the mining companies as unhealthy. “Like in any other relationship there are good days and bad days but generally it’s not a healthy one. There is no goodwill its strictly what you get is what you fight for,” he said. Ndeutepo therefore called on “mining companies to build trust and reap the profits of trust when dealing with labour matters.”<\/p>\n

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\nNamibia: Union Calls for a Paradigm Shift Within the Mining Industry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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