Mupane workers endorse strike

The union has said the strike will go ahead if the mine does not accede to a fresh salary increase proposal. In order for the industrial strike to legally take place, it has to be endorsed by two-thirds of unionised employees under the employ of the mine. There were reports that some employees were reluctant to endorse the strike in fear of being victimised. “The mine requested that we give it up to Wednesday to consult on our compromise proposal.

They are yet to get back to us on our proposal following our recent meeting. Many of our members have approved the strike through a vote,” said Maenge on Thursday afternoon. He added: “If we do not get a favourable response, we will inevitably embark on a strike after the cooling off period.” The 30-day cooling off period started on December 2, 2021 and will lapse before the end of this month paving way for the strike to take place. Strike action is not allowed during this period. The union and mine officials met at the interventions of the Botswana Chamber of Mines last week but could not reach a common understanding on the salary increase.