Staff Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE Mine Workers Union of Namibia (MUN) has once again lodged a court application against Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter after the mine allegedly cut workers\u2019 wages in half as well as their working hours without prior consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The union, three months ago, won a dispute against the same company over its voluntary separation programme (VSP), in which it was accused of using it as a disguised termination employment scheme, bypassing procedures under Section 34, which handles collective dismissals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a founding affidavit in the latest matter, Paulus Heita, Bargaining Executive Committee Chairperson of the Mine Workers Union and also an employee of Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter, asked that the High Court issue a rule nisi, demanding that Sinomine Smelter provide reasons why it should not be restrained from reducing the remuneration and working hours of its employees pending the resolution of the dispute referred to arbitration on 20 October 2025, and also ordering it to immediately pay back any money deducted from employees\u2019 remuneration during the October 2025 pay cycle of the Garden Leave Policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heita said that Sinomine, on 19 September, issued letters to the employees under the heading: Notification of Reduced Working Hours (Section 12(6) of the Labour Act, 2007).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The said letter further said that contractual working hours would be temporarily reduced by up to 50% and that during this period, basic salary would be reduced by no more than 50%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heita said that this decision was implemented immediately despite protestations from the workers and the Mine Workers Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a direct result, the salaries of the workers for October 2025 were drastically reduced. Contrary to the undertaking that salaries would be reduced by no more than 50%, the salaries of some employees were reduced from N$19,000.00 to only N$3,000.00. There was no agreement between the parties, and the decision was unilateral while negotiations were still ongoing. The Collective Agreement requires the Respondent to negotiate with the recognised Union (i.e., the Mine Workers Union of Namibia \u2014 hereinafter \u2018the Union\u2019) about basic wages and working conditions. The Respondent has failed to negotiate in good faith and has instead implemented the changes unilaterally before the negotiation reached a settlement,\u201d Heita said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter, in recent months, has said that it was forced to evolve its operations due to global copper concentrate scarcity, which required the mine to place its traditional smelter operations under care and maintenance and introduce programs such as the voluntary separation programme, affecting hundreds of workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo: Mine Workers Union of Namibia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Staff Reporter THE Mine Workers Union of Namibia (MUN) has once again lodged a court application against Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter after the mine allegedly cut workers\u2019 wages in half as well as their working hours without prior consultation. The union, three months ago, won a dispute against the same company over its voluntary separation programme …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":385097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-385096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n