BMWU complains about treatment of Moolmans workers
Patricia Edwin | Tuesday August 5, 2014 12:36
The union made the complaint in a petition submitted to the District Commissioner’s office last week to be forwarded to the management of Aveng Moolmans and the ministries of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources; and Labour and Home Affairs.
BMWU secretary general, Bob Malele said the things that are happening to workers at the mine pits are not good. He said there are no changing rooms for employees and no drinking water while there is only one toilet for over 200 workers. Workers who go on sick leave are mistreated. “Employees are supposed to rest and change and know where to stand or sit while waiting to change a shift. They cannot change their overalls because there is nowhere to change,” he said.
He said the container used as a waiting room by Moolmans workers is very cold during winter and its door do not close properly.
“It does not have comfortable chairs for operators waiting for breakdowns or to change shifts,” he said. Malele said a continuous stream of water passes about 30cm away from the container. He said drinking water is not easily accessible because it is kept in tanks (jojos) whose safety is in doubt. The fact that Moolmans do not have a clinic for employees is another concern to BMWU.
Malele said that company employees use the Tati Nickel clinic, which is a disadvantage.
“Moolmans employees do not have a clinic within a walking distance like the law states, so the employees depend on Tati Nickel and sometimes it takes more than two hours for an employee to walk to the clinic in case of ill-health, which is very risky,” he said. He said workers are made to suffer when they make claims of sick leave awarded by doctors recognised by government.
“Management goes to the extent of interrogating employees for sick leave. This stinks with illegality and any management in its full mental faculties would not dare conduct itself in such a manner,” he said. He said that sometimes employees end up not being paid for sick leave because they are treated as criminals and frauds.