Mineworkers union wields knives at Lucara
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday March 28, 2023 06:00
They say the MD “has orchestrated a retrenchment exercise to purge employees who participated in a company investigation, exposing the rot and unethical conduct of the top brass of Lucara Botswana’s management".
According to a fiery press release from the union, on or about June 22, 2022, Lucara Diamond Corporation in Canada instructed its subsidiary Lucara Botswana to commission an investigation of the security department following allegations of maladministration and unethical conduct at Karowe Mine. The investigation was prompted by an incident involving the Security Manager.
Under the protection of Clause 5 of Lucara Whistle Blower Policy, 50 security personnel volunteered to make statements during the investigation process. Not long after the investigation report was submitted to management, all 50 employees who volunteered statements were given termination letters signed by Managing Director Naseem Lahri, a move that was inconsistent with corporate governance protocols. Upon becoming aware of this covert exercise, the union swiftly interdicted, which resulted in only three members losing jobs while 47 remained.
The dismissals were unlawful and not subject to any disciplinary action. “Management subsequently commissioned a security optimisation assessment of the security department through Assurance Protection Group Incorporation (APGI), a South African company. The plan by management was to justify the retrenchment of the remaining 47 whistleblowers, and do a sweeping exercise, intended to cut loose ends or anyone that could implicate the managing director and her cabal to their breach of business ethics and conduct,” the union leadership wrote.
The union believes that the optimisation assessment report and the investigation report are responsible for the unlawful dismissals and the intended retrenchment of the security personnel.
The said South African Company, APGI, which was hired to conduct the optimisation assessment, has allegedly now been engaged to oversee security services at Karowe Mine, while simultaneously overseeing the implementation of the optimisation/retrenchment exercise. “In view of this and other developments, the Union invoked Section 48C of the Trade Unions and Employers Organisation Act together with Clause 6 of its Collective Labour Agreement with Lucara Botswana, for the disclosure of the reports to inform and satisfy itself of the lawfulness or otherwise of the intended retrenchments. To date Lucara Botswana management has refused to disclose this information, impugning the very foundation of their intention to optimise the department and/or retrench employees,” bemoaned the union leaders.
The union finds Lucara Botswana management’s conduct suspect, baseless and unlawful. “It is apparent that these multinational companies are here to extract our commodities without care for the lives of the citizens of the countries from which obtain these resources. The managing director of Lucara Botswana is complicit in this unethical conduct.
Her motive to target this security personnel is to bury and hide whatever infractions that were picked up from the investigation report, which infractions she sanctioned and was a part of. Their refusal to share the report with the union is to cover up the rot which the managing director herself has nurtured.” The union now demands that all Lucara employees unlawfully dismissed on account of the investigation be reinstated with immediate effect; The reports for both the investigation and security optimisation to be furnished the union forthwith; Lucara Botswana's managing director should tender her immediate resignation as she is not fit and proper to run Lucara Botswana; The Board of Lucara Corp Inc. should enforce its ESG stewardship policy by removing the current MD as she is a risk to investors at Lucara; The planned retrenchment of 47 security employees by the MD should be halted forthwith; A joint inspection between the Ministry of Mines and Labour should be conducted at Lucara Botswana as matter of urgency. Lucara responds Meanwhile, Lucara Botswana has responded to the allegations with shock. “Over the past few weeks, we engaged Botswana Mine Workers Union on the organisational optimisation process which is currently being undertaken by the company. Consultations with the union on the matter are still ongoing. We are accordingly surprised by the press release allegedly issued by the union. Our obligation to maintain confidentiality with regard to our engagement with the union precludes us from fully responding to the allegations made in the press release at this stage.
However, Lucara rejects the purported truthfulness of the contents of the press release and the defamatory and seditious statements made against its Managing Director and the company,” reads a response from Lucara Botswana Board.
The board further stated that the conduct of the union does nothing but strain the cordial relationship that has hitherto existed between the parties. Lucara stated they did not intend to address the union’s position outlined in the press release in the public domain but will do so within the confines of the existing agreements between the company and the union.
“We want to assure everyone that Lucara Botswana and Lucara Diamond Corp. adhere to the highest levels of integrity, governance, and ethics and religiously comply with the laws of the country,” the board stated.