Maria David
THE Minister of Justice and Labour Relations, Wise Immanuel, has issued a stern directive to the Chinese-owned Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter and the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) national leadership, ordering them to resolve the dispute by Monday night through social dialogue.
Immanuel gave the order during an engagement with the Sinomine leadership and the MUN.
Failure to do so, Immanuel warned, would lead to him invoking Section 80 of the Labour Act, 2007 (Act No. 11 of 2007). Section 80 of the Labour Act empowers the Minister, through the Labour Commissioner, to appoint a conciliator to decide on an actual or potential dispute between an employer and the employees.
“Alternatively, in consultation with the Labour Advisory Council, he can appoint a tripartite panel to investigate any industrial conflict or potential conflict and report with recommendations to the Minister, if the Minister considers such dispute or conflict to be affecting the national interest,” he said.
He added that the invocation of Section 80 would have significant implications, as its effect would be to suspend the ongoing voluntary separation until a determination in terms thereof is made.
The management of Sinomine and the national leadership of the MUN, who have been at odds over the ongoing voluntary separation programme at the mine since May 2025, remain locked in a meeting following the Minister’s intervention earlier Monday.
Photo: NBC Digital News
