21 Nov 2017

Former employees still residing in BCL houses have been granted an extended 15 months stay contract, Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Advocate Sadique Kebonang has informed Paliament.

Answering a question in Parliament on November 20, Advocate Kebonang  said there was a communication plan in place which involved the Liquidator and Botswana Mine Workers Union pertaining to the arrangement

He said his ministry communicated with the former employees of the mine and explained that the liquidation process was being undertaken by KPGM.

Advocate Kebonang further explained that the liquidation process did not ordinarily give rise to payment of retrenchment packages.

The Minister stated that while BCL and the Botswana Miners Workers Union had signed a retrenchment agreement, the agreement was to deal with employees who were redeployed or retrenched as a result of restructuring or reorganisation to achieve the company’s objectives.

He said unfortunately the agreement did not apply in liquidation scenario and as a result the terminated employees did not have a claim against BCL arising from this agreement.

He said the re-opening of the BCL mine was dependent on the commodity prices recovery and getting interested parties to buy the mines.

He said currently there was a third party interested on the Tati mine and the Liquidator was assessing two new bid offers on BCL mines.

MP Nkaigwa had asked the minister whether there were plans to address former employees of BCL as most of them were still residing in BCL houses and also wanted to know how government communicated with the former employees of BCL, and if there was any  hope for the re-opening of the BCL mine. ENDS