CEC workers at Maun Airport strike

BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
Correspondent | Tuesday November 30, 2010 00:00

 

The employees are demanding monies they are owed by the company for working on weekends and public holidays. The employees expressed a litany of grievances with their employer, amongst them the use of abusive language by company senior staff to their juniors during working hours that the management has allegedly been notified of and failed to address.

When Mmegi visited the construction site, operations had come to a standstill and for the rest of the day the employees, mostly laborers, drivers, excavator operators, mechanics and other support staff congregated outside the construction site offices declaring loudly that they want money first before they can return to work. One of the laborers said loudly to the reporters: 'ba kare koba mo tirong fa ba batla. E company fa o e bereka o a bo o ineetse mo bokgobeng.' (let them fire us from work. If you work for this company you have given up yourself to slavery).

In a letter the employees wrote to the management before they downed tools, they declare that: 'we are of the view that we must not return to work until our backpays are paid to us in line with the advice that you should pay us what you owe us by the District Labour offices in Maun to you dated 23 September.'

The bone of contention between the employees and their employer hinges on the recommendations of a report about a labour inspection for Maun Airport expansion by the District Labour officials in Maun.  The inspection found anomalies on the part of the employer in complying with terms of work relating to hours of work, overtime and staff employment contracts.

In the report which Mmegi is in possession of, the team found out that the employer demanded that the employees work on Saturdays without paying double salary as stipulated by the law. The report says that the employer replied that they have always believed Saturday is not a rest day therefore they have always treated it as a normal working day except for Sunday when they paid employees a double salary if they worked.

Labour officials, however, made it clear that the company must pay the employees for working on Saturdays since the commencement of the project in 2009 up to August, but to date nothing has been done by the employer and no communication to staff has been given.

The report also notes that some of the employees interviewed by the Labour Department officials alleged that that the Chinese supervisors were of the habit of using abusive language and insults when they addressed the employees noting that words like 'Kust' that locals do not understand are always shouted at the employees. In response, one manager is said to have told the officials that the employees who are insulted should have made him aware immediately.

The employees also complained of the employer's tendency of re-employing them at the beginning of every project regardless that the company they work for is the same. In their report the Labour officials advised the company management that all the employees from previous projects under the employ of COVEC be treated as continuous employment and they be allowed their severance entitlements as per section 27 and 28 of the Employment Act.

Contacted for comment, a personnel officer in the company, Kentse Keogotsitse said top managers at the company's head offices in Gaborone who are still working on modalities in terms of paying the employees have caused the delay. He said a solution to the problem is expected soon as they are waiting for a response from the top management to be communicated to them by tomorrow.

Meanwhile the employees turned up for duty on Thursday after the Labour officials addressed them informing them that they will ensure that the company pays them. CEC was awarded the tender to construct the runway, taxiway, extend apron and undertake other engineering services at the tune of P554m. The project which started in March 2009 and scheduled for completion in 2012 is already behind schedule according to sources.