BCL Mine: One year later
Friday, October 27, 2017
Politicians and unionists joined hands to press for reopening, in vain
SELEBI-PHIKWE: October 7, 2017 marked the first anniversary of the closure of the BCL Mine, a life-changing event that remains fresh in the minds of the plus-minus 4,600 rendered jobless.
October 7 will be archived in Selebi-Phikwe’s history books as the town’s darkest day. All the employees, including those who were contracted and sub-contracted to the mine, dependents included, received the biggest shock of their lives. This was the day that the phrase ‘imminent mine closure’ that they had seen in numerous internal memos and which had become a cliché became reality.
‘The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds’.- Abraham LincolnUntil then, the Council’s operations remain suspended, delaying critical decisions affecting thousands of public sector employees.The current standoff is between the Manual Workers Union on one side and the Six Cooperating Trade Unions, namely BONU, BOPEU, BTU, BDU, BOSETU and...