Debswana, Workers Reach Wage Agreement

After months of negotiations that included court appearances, high emotions, firings, presidential appeals and an illegal strike, De Beers’ Botswana diamond mining company Debswana and its workers union have wrapped up talks and agreed on this year’s pay rise.

The sides, deadlocked since annual wage talks started back in March, have agreed on a 10 percent cost of living increase and a one-time production bonus of 10 percent of annual salary.

The mineworkers union, the BMWU, had last demanded a 13 percent wage increase and a 15 percent bonus. But then a group of workers decided, without the consent of the union, to go on strike because talks were dragging out. The result was the dismissal of 444 striking workers.

When the sides returned to the negotiating table, the union was willing to settle on the so called 10/10 offer, but demanded to at least have the dismissed workers re-instated.

After Debswana refused to negotiate the two issues together, saying that they are separate issues, it seemed that another crisis lay ahead.

Yesterday the union agreed to accept the 10/10 offer and the company has reinstated few of the workers, mostly trainees and volunteer firefighters. However the miner published want ads for the bulk of the now vacant positions, within the company and publicly, and the rest of the fired employees, if interested, will have to apply for their old jobs together with new applicants.