BMWU appeals to Boko
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 320 Views |
After the smoke: BCL Mine closed in 2016, sinking more than 5,000 jobs in the process PIC: KEOAGILE BONANG
In a statement, the union said it was committed to working with the new administration and Parliament on poverty eradication, economic recovery, trade and investment, and respect and fulfilment of workers’ rights in the mining industry. The mineworkers said Boko’s administration should also prioritise the payment of outstanding soft-landing benefits to former BCL workers. T
he payments were a sore point between the BMWU and the previous administration, as mineworkers claimed the government had reneged on a commitment to pay soft-landing benefits to workers who were axed from BCL. The copper and nickel mine fired about 5,000 at its liquidation in 2016.
It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...