Despite workers’ reservations, Debswana is reportedly making strides with the implementation of the Operations Review Project as well as its privatising and outsourcing project.
The controversial process that will change the way the mining company conducts business, recently came under heavy criticism because of the negative impacts it has on the job security of the company’s current employees, with about 1278 at risk of losing their jobs. Debswana employs about 6000 people.
Trade Unions have even gone to the extent of handing over petitions to the Managing Director, Blackie Marole, against the initiative.
Marole recently wrote an internal memorandum to his employees in which he affirmed that the implementation of the ORP was well underway and that they are currently finalising D and E band resourcing.
The MD revealed that internal and external advertisements for new jobs and those that have changed significantly within various departments have already been published and interviews have begun.
“The plan is to complete the interviews by the 13th of October 2010,”said Marole.
He revealed that the A-C band resourcing is also being finalised, the A-C band, which is the last stage of implementation, will be carried out in four stagesÔÇö which are the recently completed Job Writing, Job Grading, Preparatory work for the actual resourcing, placement sessions, ┬áincluding feedback and the actual people placements and any other resultant separations.
 Last week, Boyce Sebetlela, Group manager for Corporate Strategy, said the company has awarded contracts to two citizen owned companies to carry out a feasibility study for Housing and health services delivery models.
El Mondo (Pty) Ltd and Innolead Consulting are expected to carry out the study for no more that 3 months.
Sebetela said that the option being investigated for health services delivery mode was based on the partnership between Debswana and the government through a hospital management organisation.
“For housing /accommodation delivery model, the option being investigated entails exploring the possibility of selling the existing residential properties to employees and outsourcing to meet future demands,” said Sebetlela.
Sebataladi Moitoi, the Deputy General Secretary of the Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU), said that they still have issues concerning the ORP that they feel have not been addressed properly by management.
He said that Debswana had not really given them much of a say in the process. He revealed that judging by the outcomes of the managerial evaluation process, BMWU would feel comfortable with management having a process whereby one could appeal against a decision made by the company about his job.
“Debswana made it clear that the issue of ORP was a consultation procedure and not a negotiation, and they recently told us that the consultation process was over. Our only hope is that they continue to engage us with other developments,” said Moitoi.
