Union claims that Weatherly is a ‘fair weather’ owner

THE Mineworkers’ Union of Namibia (MUN) claims that Weatherly International, the new owner of Ongopolo Mining and Processing Limited, is not trustworthy and does not deserve sympathy.

Weatherly recently announced that it had placed the Tsumeb smelter in a newly created company, Namibia Customs Smelters. Namibia Customs Smelters was created through restructuring as a subsidiary of Weatherly and will be separate from the Ongopolo mines.MUN General Secretary Joseph Hengari said despite an agreement that the company would consult the union “on issues of mutual interest to enhance industrial peace”, Weatherly made the announcement without consulting them.He charged that Weatherly’s announcement was “unlawful” and would hamper the hard-won labour relations between the two parties.Ongopolo’s Chairman Rod Webster recently said they had made a commitment to Namibia and its economy to be in the country for the long term.”Hence the strategic aim of allowing the smelter to develop as a stand-alone unit within the group and exploit its unique position in southern Africa.This change should be seen as a manifestation of our belief that Ongopolo and all its subsidiaries have a bright future,” he said.Hengari said yesterday that Weatherly would not achieve anything without the involvement of the workers.”Therefore, he must forget to fool the nation,” Hengari said, urging the company not to “provoke the situation”.”We from the Mineworkers Union of Namibia are constructively committed to a lawful constructive engagement if required and, in the same vein, we are prepared for any action which is deemed fit for our members,” he said.Weatherly took over Ongopolo when it was on the verge of collapse.Before it became Ongopolo, the mining company was known as Tsumeb Corporation Limited (TCL).In 1996 the MUN declared a strike at all TCL mines and picketers resorted to violence and prevented essential staff from entering the mines and attending to their duties, one of which was the ongoing dewatering of the mine.It resulted in the flooding of the famous De Wet Shaft and the company was eventually forced into insolvency.Last month, Weatherly said it was making progress and would commission the Tsumeb concentrator ahead of schedule to take full advantage of currently high copper prices.The Tsumeb concentrator, one of three feeding the company’s smelter at Tsumeb, is expected to resume operations this month, ahead of the June target date.Commencement of operations at Tsumeb will be the first major step towards raising copper output levels.Ongopolo was on the verge of bankruptcy when Weatherly rescued the company through a N$120 million deal.Ongopolo has already started developing a new underground mine, Asis Far West, to replace the declining Kombat mine.An 800-metre shaft has been sunk at Asis Far West and lateral development to the main ore body is underway.Other development projects include the Tsumeb West and Tschudi mines.The Tsumeb copper smelter, comprising three furnaces, is a key asset for Weatherly.The current operating capacity of the first smelter is 24 000 to 32 000 tonnes a year, while the second, larger copper furnace and the zinc furnace require refurbishment.Namibia Customs Smelters was created through restructuring as a subsidiary of Weatherly and will be separate from the Ongopolo mines.MUN General Secretary Joseph Hengari said despite an agreement that the company would consult the union “on issues of mutual interest to enhance industrial peace”, Weatherly made the announcement without consulting them.He charged that Weatherly’s announcement was “unlawful” and would hamper the hard-won labour relations between the two parties.Ongopolo’s Chairman Rod Webster recently said they had made a commitment to Namibia and its economy to be in the country for the long term.”Hence the strategic aim of allowing the smelter to develop as a stand-alone unit within the group and exploit its unique position in southern Africa.This change should be seen as a manifestation of our belief that Ongopolo and all its subsidiaries have a bright future,” he said.Hengari said yesterday that Weatherly would not achieve anything without the involvement of the workers.”Therefore, he must forget to fool the nation,” Hengari said, urging the company not to “provoke the situation”.”We from the Mineworkers Union of Namibia are constructively committed to a lawful constructive engagement if required and, in the same vein, we are prepared for any action which is deemed fit for our members,” he said.Weatherly took over Ongopolo when it was on the verge of collapse.Before it became Ongopolo, the mining company was known as Tsumeb Corporation Limited (TCL).In 1996 the MUN declared a strike at all TCL mines and picketers resorted to violence and prevented essential staff from entering the mines and attending to their duties, one of which was the ongoing dewatering of the mine.It resulted in the flooding of the famous De Wet Shaft and the company was eventually forced into insolvency.Last month, Weatherly said it was making progress and would commission the Tsumeb concentrator ahead of schedule to take full advantage of currently high copper prices.The Tsumeb concentrator, one of three feeding the company’s smelter at Tsumeb, is expected to resume operations this month, ahead of the June target date.Commencement of operations at Tsumeb will be the first major step towards raising copper output levels.Ongopolo was on the verge of bankruptcy when Weatherly rescued the company through a N$120 million deal.Ongopolo has already started developing a new underground mine, Asis Far West, to replace the declining Kombat mine.An 800-metre shaft has been sunk at Asis Far West and lateral development to the main ore body is underway.Other development projects include the Tsumeb West and Tschudi mines.The Tsumeb copper smelter, comprising three furnaces, is a key asset for Weatherly.The current operating capacity of the first smelter is 24 000 to 32 000 tonnes a year, while the second, larger copper furnace and the zinc furnace require refurbishment.