BMWU shocked by jailing of ex-members
Onalenna Kelebeile | Friday December 7, 2018 13:51
This was said by assistant Minister of Basic Education, Thato Kwerepe this week when responding to a question from Member of Parliament for Selebi-Phikwe West, Dithapelo Keorapetse.
Keorapetse had wanted to know the number of people who are serving civil imprisonment as a result of failure to pay legally due money from the date of the mine closure to date.
BMWU president, Jack Tlhagale said the incarceration of former BCL employees is most unfortunate, but was expected given the lack of concern for workers on the part of government as the employer. “If this government had conscience, it would be embarrassed and ashamed for its dehumanising conduct, which sent home former employees without notice and retrenchment pay despite their many years of their loyal service,” he said.
Tlhagale said workers and their families’ lives were destroyed overnight after being dumped by a government that claims to be caring.
He added that the Union has opened discussions with the government through the Minerals Minister, Eric Molale, but further engagements have stalled since the last meeting in June this year. “He’s avoiding us, making it difficult for us to negotiate or persuade government to have mercy and to review its refusal to compensate former BCL and Tati employees for loss of employment. We are currently following up with his office, but we are getting a cold shoulder.” Tlhagale further said one former employee who got injured at work died last week because of lack of proper medical care. He said this is despite the fact that government promised to provide medical support to those who got injured on duty.Keorapetse said the story of Selebi-Phikwe is a sad one and that the first problem is the closure of the mine, which threw people into instant destitution.
“What is most disheartening is that government promised soft landing in terms of packages, but ex-employees were only paid a month salary,” he said.
“Businesses collapsed and unemployment and poverty skyrocketed. Those who had businesses in and around Selebi-Phikwe and those who were employed could not pay creditors because they have nothing to even feed themselves and their families.”
Keorapetse still maintains that it is important for the government to pay former employees their packages just to show political will and mitigate adverse effects of their precarious situation.
The revelation of the high number of those who have served their civil imprisonment terms and those who are still in prison comes at a time when affected ex-miners and their Union have been pleading with government to at least clear off their debts with different financial institutions to avoid civil imprisonment.
Many of them continue to receive notifications over their un-serviced loans while others are notified that their cases have been handed to the sheriffs to deal with. One of the commercial banks is reported to be owed P11 million in loans that were given to ex-mine employees.