28 Feb 2018

Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security says retrenched employees from both Tati Nickel and BCL enjoy the same benefits.

Answering a question in Parliament, Advocate Sadique Kebonang said initially, there was an oversight on benefits of BCL employees, which was eventually corrected.

He noted that government only acquired Tati Nickel in 2014 from Norilsk while BCL was already 100 per cent owned by government, which explains the difference in the initial treatment of employees.

Advocate Kebonang further said he was aware that there was a retrenchment agreement between Tati Nickel and Botswana Miners Workers Union.

“Tati Nickel employees were not paid retrenchment packages as their termination of employment was not a result of redundancy as envisaged by section 25 of the Employment Act, but they were terminated upon insolvency of Tati Nickel; hence they are covered by section 91A of the Employment Act,” he said.

He said unlike BCL, where company assistance with primary private school fees was open to everyone regardless of level, Tati Nickel restricted the benefit to C4 level staff (foremen) and up.

“Therefore, government initially only paid school fees following the arrangements she found in place,” he concluded.

Member of Parliament for Francistown South, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi had asked the minister why Tati Nickel employees were treated differently from those of BCL after retrenchment, whether the minister was aware that according to the contract signed by staff, retrenched workers were supposed to be paid packages and why only children of managers were assisted with school fees although all employees were affected by the retrenchment. ENDS