Namdeb on warpath with employees

Namibian diamond miner, Namdeb has requested an unresolved dispute certificate, a move that is set to put it on a collision course with its employees.
The Namibian newspaper reports that talks over a wage dispute had reached a deadlock.
The workers were demanding a 15 percent increase while the company said it would only manage a 7 percent increase.
Mineworkers Union of Namibia representative Shavuka Mbidhi was quoted as saying that the latest move by Namdeb management was meant to force the workers to go on strike.
"It is highly abnormal that a company wants its workers to go on strike," Mbidhi said.
"They want to frustrate workers to go on strike as a cost-saving measure to cushion the slowed demand which resulted in a drop of the diamond price. They have a lot of diamonds in stockpile because of the slowed demand.”
He said Namdeb employees would only strike once diamond prices recover.
"Workers will actually lose if they go on strike now. We will not go for what they [company] want, but will definitely hit when the economic environment is favourable," Mbidhi said.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished