July 6, 2007
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) is deeply dismayed by Assmang’s threatening attitude towards compensation of scores of employees who were incapacitated by serious manganism poisoning.
Our members, through no fault of their own are suffering from serious and diseabling condition caused by exposure to high quantities of manganese toxic dust in Assmang in Cato Ridge, outside Pietermaritzburg.
For several months, Numsa health and safety officials in conjunction with legal and occupational health experts have been negotiating with Assmang’s topmost management on improvement of health and safety working conditions and compensation of workers diagnosed with manganism.
Numsa also demanded that there should be no more further dismissals for affected people with incapacity while negotiations on this matter continued. At least two employees suffering from manganism were served with notices of dismissals for incapacity.
The union feels that many premature deaths among the past and present employees were related to manganism and have launched a campaign to start investigation on these deaths.
“Any agreements reached with Assmang should be inclusive and must cover the past employees who may have been exposed to manganism,” says Numsa health and safety national co-coordinator Puleng Mminele.
But, to our surprise Kwazulu-Natal based plant management claimed that Assmang is indemnified in terms of Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act of 1993 against all claims for damages rising from its employees contracting occupational diseases including manganism.
In a show of disrespect and extreme rashness for workers’ welfare, the management further said Assmang, is accordingly under no obligation to pay any amount at all to its affected employees.
This lead us to believe that the company’s hardline approach is influenced by its intention to blackmail the union into accepting paltry ex-gratia payments to workers, and should be unilaterally determined in their own terms.
Numsa also believes that employers’ blinkered approach on fair compensation of affected employees is inconsistent with Assmang black empowerment majority partner Patrice Motsepe. The mining magnate has indicated that employees incapacitated through chronic exposure to manganese fumes should be compensated in a comprehensive way and well-looked after with medical treatment.
To our consternation, the company has also demanded that the current enquiry into deaths of some employees and about 57 who have been diagnosed to be suffering with diseases related to manganism dust exposure should be postponed indefinitely.
And, the enquiry continues on July 9, 10 and 11, 2007 after management’s appeal has been rejected out of hand by our members.
Numsa is also critical of the inadequate compensation system of the employees who were injured on duty for its failure to compensate to the full extent harm and loss caused by disability.
For further information contact:
Mziwakhe Hlangani, Numsa national spokesperson
Cell phone: 082 9407116
E-mail : mziwakheh@numsa.org.za