DTCB workers resume duties, reject management offer

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday October 27, 2010 00:00

 

DTCB Union Secretary General Jacob Mpasopi, said agreeing to the P1,000, as a once off payment was tantamount to accepting a bribe to be silenced. The union is demanding an eight percent increase in the cost of living allowance and an increase from P180 to P1,000 of their Transport and Gas Allowance. Management had earlier rejected these demands. The union leaders had revealed that there is a lot of disparity between the workers and management when it comes to remuneration and allowances. They charged that the workers, who are mostly diamond sorters and valuators, get a mere P180 as a transport and gas allowance, whilst management gets hefty amounts of money as car allowances.

'We have however agreed to give the Managing Director, who was on a long leave when we went on strike, time to talk to the union members and to also give him an indefinite period to try to resolve the impasse,' Mpasopi said adding that the MD agreed to talk to the union members as long as they are back at work and not outside the premises where they have been camping since the strike.

He said after the strike was called off on Monday morning they met with management that same afternoon where the P1,000 offer was put on the table and they were given 48 hours to think about it failure of which the offer would expire. He said the union members rejected the offer but they approved of further negotiations with management. 

Mpasompi further revealed that the situation was not made any better when the Operations Manager told workers in his charge yesterday that they should be thanking their lucky stars for being employed, while a lot of people were roaming the streets. 'He is said to have even asked them who they were to complain if the managers are not complaining for not receiving any increment in the last two years.  He emphasised that they should terminate their affiliation with the unions and not let anyone make decisions on their behalf,' Mpasompi said. Company spokesperson Kago Mmopi confirmed to Mmegi that the union had suspended the strike while negotiations are ongoing.

'The union advised us that they would be suspending the strike for now and negotiations will continue over the salary adjustments. But we can't say with certainty whether they will resume the strike or this is the end of it,'More than 200 DTCB workers downed their tools for two weeks after management failed to meet their demands on wages. Asked to comment on the strike's impact on production, Mmopi declined to give details but acknowledged they will be anticipating some effect on output.

'Over 200 workers were on strike for two weeks, so obviously we would expect some impact on production but we cannot quantify it at the moment,' he said.