By John Muyamba
RUNDU – The Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (Manwu) signed a recognition agreement with Gecko Mining yesterday at Uvungu-Vungu near Rundu.
Gecko Namibia (Pty) Ltd is a wholly Namibian owned company. Apart from developing own projects in the mineral and chemical industry, Gecko also focuses on providing services to the mining industry of Namibia by providing exploration drilling, chemical analyses, research and development metallurgical test work, civil engineering and construction, process design and plant construction, and contract mining.
Gecko Mining operates from Kavango East where it owns and runs a brick yard in Rundu, a crusher at Kangongo village and currently is constructing the NDC funded Dairy Palar (a fully self contained dairy) at Uvungu-Vungu, 10 km east of Rundu.
Currently Gecko Mining has 150 employees in three operations and 120 of the workers are unionised which led to the agreement.
“We are signing this agreement and therefore accepting the union in the company as a representative of our workers and we are open for them to discuss things with us – and that they understand our functions and if there is any issue we resolve them together. We need the union on both sides,” said Gary Ives, the project manager for Gecko Mining.
“We have always worked together and after this agreement we will continue working on a good relationship. This is just a platform to resolve issues if they arise,” said the chairperson of the workers’ committee, Daniel Shiwana.
The agreement recognises Gecko Mining as the employer of the unionised members and Gecko Mining recognises Manwu as representing the workers.
The agreement will also allow the union to negotiate as well as monitor the payroll of the company to observe if the company complies with the minimum wage as stipulated in the Government Gazette.
It also authorises Manwu to assess the premises and police other rights for the workers that are listed in the agreement.