Striking Workers of OCTEA (2)
By Septimus Senessie in Kono
Workers at Sierra Leone's biggest diamond mining company on Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 staged an indefinite sit-down strike calling on the management of the company to improve their conditions of service.
The workers of the company in the eastern Kono Districtwho staged the protest at the main entrance of the company`s headquarters also called for the resignation of their union executive members, who they accused of failure of duty.
The development came after the expiry of a 21-day ultimatum issued by the desperate mine workers in September.
The aggrieved mines workers want the entire executive body of the ‘United Mine Workers Union’ to step down for failing to advocate on their behalf.
Isaiah Yongai, one of the aggrieved workers, told Politico that they were striking for the payment of the 15% salary increment the company had early promised them, as well as payment of risk allowances and the monthly Le 250, 000 medical allowances the management withheld for August.
He said they were also asking the company to pay its property tax to the Koidu City Council, for which the company already face possible court action by the council. Yongai lamented that they were paid pittance, hardly enough to take care of their basic needs.
“We will maintain our stance with the strike action against the management of the company until our demands are met,” he vowed.
Addressing a cross section of striking workers in the early hours of Monday, 5th October, 2015, at the main entrance of the company, the Head of the Engineering Department at OCTEA, Frans Gonsalves, who is currently acting in the capacity as General Manager, promised the aggrieved workers that their demands would be looked into on Wednesday, on the return of the substantive General Manager who is out of the district. Gonsalves therefore called on the workers to return to work.
But the General Manager of OCTEA, Christo Swanepoel, in a press release dated 3rd October, 2015, condemned the strike actions and described it as “illegal.” He threatened to terminate the contract of staff without benefit if they were found abandoning their official duties “in the pretext of strike action.”
Swanepoel acknowledged in the release the 21-day ultimatum in a letter dated September 12th 2015 received by his management.
The aggrieved group, which identified itself as ‘Koidu Family’, demanded increase in conditions of services and the payment of property taxes to Koidu council, among others, the General Manager confirmed. He said on receipt of the letter, he met with the miners` executive and agreed that they would not support any strike action that would hinder the operations of the company.
The striking workers denied the claims of the company’s management engaging with to discuss the concerns in their letter.
Condemning the strike action by their own union, the Chairman of the United Mine Workers’ Union in Kono District, Tamba Yongai Kamanda, denied any wrong doing and said “they didn’t see any need to resign their positions.” Mr. Kamanda, himself an employee of OCTEA, told Politico that his “role as chairman of their union menat he was obliged to serve the interests of both the employees and employers,” and that that was what he had been doing in the interest of all.
(C) Politico Online 05/10/15
