Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU) has previously enjoyed cordial relations with Lucara Botswana. It was until the Union’s intervention on reports of maladministration that the relationship between the parties took a turn for the worst. It would have been remiss of the Union not to protect whistle blowers against reprisal from Lucara Botswana top executives.
The Union has exercised its rights under its collective labour agreement with Lucara Botswana to engage the media on any issues including Lucara management’s maladministration and breach of corporate governance. The Union has through its collective bargaining structures requested for disclosure of both the optimization assessment report and the investigative report, neither of which the company has availed, despite the union’s invocation of the parties engagement protocols.
Confidentiality obligations notwithstanding, the Union consents to Lucara Botswana responding to it publicly. Previous union statements are truthful and based on hard evidence. The MD is responsible for the maladministration at Lucara Botswana and must be held accountable. The board should take decisive action against her.
If Lucara Botswana is indeed a good corporate citizen that adheres to the highest standards of corporate governance, it should disclose to the Union the contents of the two reports, for parties to satisfy themselves on the truthfulness or otherwise of the Union’s allegations. Otherwise their non-disclosure leads us to the conclusion that Lucara Botswana and its MD have a case to answer.
ISSUED BY THE BMWU LEADERSHIP
Joseph Tsimako
President
Maenge PG Maenge
General Secretary