Diamond factory prepares 500 new work contracts

A LABOUR union is helping the workforce at a local diamond factory secure their employment contracts, after a meeting with the company management.

The Secretary General of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), Joseph Hengari, said last week his organisation had a meeting with Lev Leviev Diamonds (LLD) on Thursday and that the company would draft new contracts, which would be scrutinised by the MUN head office. “The meeting was about reviewing the conditions of employment for about 500 diamond polishers and cutters at the factory,” Hengari said.”Only if our labour union is satisfied with the new contracts, will the company hand them out to the employees for signature,” he told a media briefing.”The original drafts we saw were rather unclear about the conditions of employment,” he added.MUN was also displeased about a three-month probation period for the labourers stipulated in the drafts.”Those people have been trained for about a year and were then given a temporary contract which ended this July.Now they will have to again endure a probation period – why?” Hengari argued.He alleged that 30 diamond cutters and polishers were dismissed in June and July.”LLD Management said they regarded them still as trainees and the reasons for dismissal were not even conveyed to them,” the MUN leader said.Hengari also made it clear that LLD would have to officially recognise MUN as representative of the majority of the workforce.LLD Managing Director Kombadayedu Kapwanga said once the review of the contracts was done and they were signed towards the end of this month, the issue of official recognition of MUN was just a formality.”The factory is two years old and only now the workforce will receive permanent employment contracts.We will then see if the majority of the employees are MUN members and then we have no problem recognising the labour union,” Kapwanga said last week.On the alleged dismissal of some workers, Kapwanga noted that some of the temporary contracts were simply not renewed.”The meeting was about reviewing the conditions of employment for about 500 diamond polishers and cutters at the factory,” Hengari said.”Only if our labour union is satisfied with the new contracts, will the company hand them out to the employees for signature,” he told a media briefing.”The original drafts we saw were rather unclear about the conditions of employment,” he added.MUN was also displeased about a three-month probation period for the labourers stipulated in the drafts.”Those people have been trained for about a year and were then given a temporary contract which ended this July.Now they will have to again endure a probation period – why?” Hengari argued.He alleged that 30 diamond cutters and polishers were dismissed in June and July.”LLD Management said they regarded them still as trainees and the reasons for dismissal were not even conveyed to them,” the MUN leader said. Hengari also made it clear that LLD would have to officially recognise MUN as representative of the majority of the workforce.LLD Managing Director Kombadayedu Kapwanga said once the review of the contracts was done and they were signed towards the end of this month, the issue of official recognition of MUN was just a formality.”The factory is two years old and only now the workforce will receive permanent employment contracts.We will then see if the majority of the employees are MUN members and then we have no problem recognising the labour union,” Kapwanga said last week.On the alleged dismissal of some workers, Kapwanga noted that some of the temporary contracts were simply not renewed.