The Otjikoto B2Gold Mine has reinstated its 160 employees suspended for their alleged involvement in an illegal work stoppage on 30 September 2022.

The employees were suspended effective 01 October 2022 after refusing to work over eight hours per day without compensation, claiming that the company never possessed a valid continuous operations permit from the Ministry of Labour, Industrialisation and Employment Creation which allows it to operate non-stop as employees rotate using a shift roster, despite assurance by the company that it has the valid permit.

Speaking at a media conference here on Tuesday, Otjikoto B2Gold Board Chairperson Dr Leake Hangala said the employees returned to work on 14 October 2022 with a warning, after the mine, the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations and Employment Creation and the Mineworkers Union of Namibia met on 11 October 2022.

Hangala said during the meeting, the ministry confirmed that the continuous operation permit was valid and that the company should consider lifting the suspensions and imposing a different sanction.

“The MUN acknowledged that their members should have followed the internal grievance and dispute mechanisms available to them before embarking on an unsanctioned work stoppage. MUN apologised for their behaviour and the behaviour of their members and further requested the company to reconsider lifting the suspensions,” he said.

Hangala said the mine has a total employment of 827 permanent employees and 51 temporary workers, with corporate tax paid during 2021 amounting to N.dollars 615 million and royalties paid to the government totalling N.dollars 152.5 million.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency