Africa-Press – Namibia. Metal Mill Engineering, a subcontractor at Andrada Mining Limited (former AfriTin Mining Limited) at Uis, dismissed over 45 artisans on Monday.
The engineering company, which does the day-to-day maintenance of the tin mine plant, dismissed the employees after wage talks failed.
The fired workers were demanding an increase in their hourly rate, which they said ranged between N$40 and N$80 per hour, excluding benefits.
They told The Namibian that the negotiations stalled when an unidentified man, claiming to be a consultant of the ministry of labour, showed up at the mine.
He allegedly refused to identify himself to the employees.
“We refused to listen to him unless he identified himself. We submitted the letter stating our demands and conditions, and they said they’ll not listen to other stories of our demands. There’s simply autocratic rule here; we don’t have any say,” reads the statement.
The employees claim that they were dismissed verbally by the company owner Giel Verster.
Verster allegedly informed them that the company would pay 50% of their salary soon and withhold the rest.
“We asked for dismissal letters, but they refused to give us. We got dismissed for refusing to work without valid contracts, something we have been doing for a month now since the old contracts expired on 31 December,” read the statement.
The artisans also claimed the company mistreated, harassed and exploited them because no labour union represented them.Verster declined to comment.
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