Botswana’s diamond miners, on strike since August 23, returned to work on Sunday although wage talks have not been finalised and will continue.
The strikers reported for work on the advice of an international union movement based in Brussels. This move will not stop trials for contempt of court and on the legality of the strike.
”We are closely linked with the international unions and the advice of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Brussels was that we go back and be able to continue negotiations,” Botswana Mining Workers Union general secretary Donald Lobotse said on Monday.
Mining company Debswana confirmed all workers had reported for work and been taken on, except the 400 who had been dismissed. These workers had been involved with essential services on the mine, many of whom have been replaced.
”We will resume the wage negotiations [on] Tuesday,” Lobotse said.
Debswana personnel manager Paul Gahagan said on Monday the union had asked for a meeting over the weekend.
”We agreed provided they went back to work,” he said.
The talks will reopen where they left off.
”We will put our full and final offer back on the table,” Gahagan said.
”That is a 10% across the board cost of living allowance and a 10% of salary production bonus for 2003 with a minimum payout of 3500 pula.”
The union has already indicated it will accept this offer but also wants the dismissed workers to be reinstated.
”If they accept the financial offer, we will talk about how the issue of the dismissed workers can be dealt with,” Gahagan said.
None of this can affect the Appeal Court hearings, now scheduled for Thursday, of an appeal by the union to overturn the Industrial Court ruling that strike was illegal.
The Industrial Court ruling was the basis of contempt charges against union officials and of Debswana seeking orders for their committal, all of which are stayed pending the Court of Appeal ruling. – Sapa