Fury as 5,000 jobs vanish at BCL, Tati
Mbongeni Mguni | Friday October 21, 2016 19:00
On Tuesday, the Union wrote a letter requesting a meeting with Dixon-Warren over the retrenchment agreement that had been in place with BCL Mine. Surprisingly, on Wednesday, Dixon-Warren wrote directly to workers informing them that their contracts would end on October 31 with their last salaries.
BCL Ltd owns BCL Mine, which employs about 4,300 workers, as well as Tati Nickel, with about 700 workers.
The original retrenchment agreement between the Union and the BCL Ltd set out the terms of separation, including the formula to be used in calculating employees’ retrenchment packages. In his letter, Dixon-Warren said workers would be paid terminal benefits including outstanding salaries, leave, notice, severance and repatriation, but no “retrenchment package”.
Although Dixon-Warren is in charge of BCL Ltd as the liquidator, he is expected to have run the decision to terminate through government as the mining group’s sole shareholder.
Yesterday evening, BMWU president, Jack Tlhagale said the Union was meeting with its legal counsel today to explore options, that could include a legal suit if the advice was that workers’ rights were possibly violated.
“That letter is misplaced and should not be coming now. We are going into consultation with our legal teams to establish a proper position and that will determine the action we take.
“If it comes out that there are violations of workers rights, then we will be going to court.”
Tlhagale said the Union became aware of the letter during a meeting with Tati Nickel members on Wednesday.
The Union’s general secretary, Mbiganyi Ramokate was yesterday seething with anger that the liquidator had skipped BMWU structures and sent the letter directly to workers.
“As the Union leadership, we don’t have the letter detailing the benefits due to our members but we only got it from some of our members as a recognised Union representing the interests of the workers at both BCL and Tati Nickel Mining Company (TNMC) mines,” noted the troubled Ramokate.
Dixon-Warren in his letter, said salaries and other dues would be paid before October 31, being the last ever employees would receive.
“It will be necessary for some staff to remain after October 31 and to continue to work in the post-liquidation period. If you are needed during this time, I will either extend your contract of employment, or offer you a short-term contract.”
The liquidator said terminal benefits would only be paid at the end of the liquidation process, which could take a long time.
“I am trying to make special arrangements for payment to be made to you early so you do not have to wait,” reads part of the letter.
The latest developments confirm the worst fears of BCL Ltd workers who this week told Mmegi that they suspected the liquidation process would dissolve all their agreements with BCL Ltd.
“We don’t have confidence that the liquidator will follow our arrangements,” BMWU national organising coordinator, Abel Buka said in Selebi Phikwe on Tuesday.
“We believe that government is performing some tactics here.
“We have forums and we believe that government should have given us a platform to discuss all these issues and be clear how we would handle these issues.
“These are some of the issues we gave the Vice President when he was here. He did not answer us, but kept saying the liquidator would respond.
“We feel they are pushing so that these agreements are not looked at properly. This is another sign that government does not take Unions seriously.”
The 5,000 workers terminated at the two operations represent the largest single loss of jobs in Botswana’s history.