BMWU scores big against PPC Botswana
Chakalisa Dube | Monday July 26, 2021 06:00
Late last week the CA approved the sale of PPC Aggregate Quarries Botswana to Danoher because it will not ‘likely result in substantial lessening of competition’, in the market.
“There shall be no merger specific retrenchments or redundancies that may affect the employees of the merged enterprises,” reads a statement on the ruling from the CA.
The CA also said that Danoher should provide key details of all the employees currently employed by PPC within 30 days of the sale approval date.
“The merged (Danoher) enterprise shall share a copy of the conditions of approval to BMWU within 10 days of the approval date. The merged enterprise shall for a period of three years from the merger decision date, submit a report on each anniversary of the merger decision date, detailing its compliance with the conditions of approval,” noted the statement from the competition authority.
The company is however not prevented from implementing voluntary retrenchment or separation arrangements, unreasonable refusals to be redeployed, resignations and retirements in the ordinary course of business.
The CA also made a ruling that pending issues which may impede on employment as well as remunerations of employees and therefore harm public interest matters in Botswana, should be dealt with before the sale between PPC and Danoher is fully implemented.
The union, in its letter authored to the CA some weeks ago, stated that PPC Aggregates has outstanding industrial labour matters before the District Labour Office and a Court of Appeal case in respect of annual wage increments for 2019-2020.
In addition, the company has a pending case before the High Court over payment of retrenchment packages owed and due to employees following the acquisition of Quarries of Botswana a few years ago. BWMU said that the transaction should only be authorised on the condition that all pending labour related matters between PPC and employees are fully resolved.