The union leaders are said to have defied a court order and incited members to go on an illegal strike.The employees on strike include those from essential services departments like health, security, power, water reticulation and transport.
Debswana Employee Relations Manager Jacob Sesinyi said they have warned essential service workers, especially from the health department, several times not to participate in the strike as it is against the Trade Disputes Act. He said they are in the process of dismissing the 350 health workers. Some of them have already been served with letters of dismissal.
Sesinyi said the company had started the disciplinary process that starts with sacking essential service employees like nurses.
Sesinyi said nurses had left patients on hospital beds to go on strike. “What is the company expected to do when anybody (sic) leaves old men and women, boys and girls - their colleagues in hospital beds? Would we be considered a responsible or irresponsible company?” Sesinyi questioned.
He said AIDS patients were left to queue for drugs while health workers were on strike. Jwaneng mine hospital is the only public health facility in the mining town. The Orapa mine hospital serves communities a radius of 220 kilometres.
Meanwhile, Sesinyi has denied allegations that IT and Human Resources workers are operating machines they are not authorised to operate in the mines. This comes three days after miners went on strike to press for better pay. There are allegations that to appease the management, the officials from IT and Human Resources, who are not trained and do not have licences, are operating machineries in plants. Sesinyi said that they would never compromise safety, health and environmental standards of the company and that people are just saying things to score points. “We cannot afford to do that,” he said.
He admitted that shortage of staff in some areas has resulted in temporary redeployment of employees.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Dr Akolang Tombale has written to the workers’ lawyers stating that the “strike is illegal and cannot in anyway be used as a bargaining tool. We urge that you should advise your clients to return to work unconditionally and with immediate effect”.
