Namdeb has once again reached a stalemate with the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) over wage increases.
The Namibian newspaper reports that the diamond giant had refused to meet the union's demand for a basic wage increase of 25 per cent and was offering 3,5 per cent instead.
MUN was said to have declared the logjam last Monday after 12 days of negotiations with Namdeb management.
The workers went on a 31-day strike last year, which saw Namdeb registering a N$121 million ($15,4 million) loss.
Namdeb brand manager Pauline Thomas said the parties had five days to resolve their differences.
Thomas said the dispute mainly centred on the Total Renumeration Package (TRP) offered to non-bargaining-unit employees.
"Both parties are aware that the Namibian mining industry settlement levels for 2012 range from 6,5 per cent to 7 per cent," she said in a statement.
However the union's position was that this package should also apply to the bargaining unit employees.
Namdeb chief executive officer Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi said "it is too early to quantify the financial impacts at this stage, as the parties still remain open to discuss their respective positions”.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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