The Mine Workers Union of Namibia (MUN) has reached an agreement with Trigon Metals over the retrenchment of 533 employees at the Kombat Mine, concluding negotiations following a labor dispute.
The payout process is set to begin on Tuesday after the mine suspended underground operations due to severe flooding. The flooding was caused by the failure of the mine’s primary dewatering pumps, forcing Trigon Metals to lay off hundreds of workers.
Under the terms of the settlement, affected employees will receive one month’s notice pay, severance pay of one week for each year of service, payment for accrued leave, unpaid overtime, and exit medical exams.
Reginald Kock, MUN’s Regional Organiser for the Northern Region, confirmed that the union had secured a better compensation package for the workers.
“We concluded an agreement yesterday, and we can confirm that we managed to agree on a much-improved retrenchment payout for the workers. Initially, we had only 330 employees signing with us, but we managed to conclude a deal that would benefit the entire 533 employees. Employees are to be paid today,” Kock told The Brief.
The resolution comes as Trigon Metals moves forward with plans to sell the Kombat Mine to Horizon Corporation, a London-based firm.
The sale forms part of the company’s broader restructuring efforts, marking a significant shift in the mine’s future operations and workforce.
