Outsourcing of the Hospital....

[Michael Alexander]

I heard in the shop on Friday, that the company will be giving a timeframe of seven months for the outsourcing of the hospital....it seems like they are going to take the same route as they did with Allied Services (Township to the old timers), the company just said they were outsourcing "a dept",  retrench everyone and say that they no longer have jobs, but a new company will be formed..... in this case it was OTMCO.....which turns out to be a wholly owned subsidiary of Namdeb . The now "retrenched" people can now reapply for their jobs, but at a lower salary and without certain benefits........ Is it just me.... or do you smell a rat.........? The only purpose for a company to do something like this, is to cut costs, screw the long serving employee's, and make it easier to part ways when mining is complete....

*Please note this is not what I say, but what I heard...... this is a community based discussion forum, where we debate*****

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

That has become common practice here in Europe

This way they want to bypass labour laws.

Here we have a law BGB § 613a that protects employees. The succesor must meet the conditions of the previous employer and can not change that for certain length of time.

I have spent many hrs on issues like that in court representing our firm.

Seems Nam has not such stringent laws like we have in Europe.

The High europeen court has even strengend that law by adding new rules.

Yet, it happpens time and time again. outsurcing, hired labour, take over by new company etc. It applies to all.

[Michael Alexander]

Surely it's illegal.......?

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

No here its legal, butt the § 613a must be met

Same conditions and benefits etc...

[SandyB]

Rats  rats .. quite right ..  Illegal  ..  not  entirely   ..Immoral  ?  yes .. but as in  Germany laws are slowly being  put in place ..  one  example is  labour  brokers  for  farmwork  ,,  they would  take  people on on  limited  contracts ,  leaving  them  open   to  abuse ..  take  a  fee  from  the  farmer  but  leave it  to  the  farmer  .. question  is  .. who  is  the  boss   who  is accountable   the  worker  sits  in  a  vacuum  with  no  rights . ?? ..  Now  law is  saying  they  are  actually  the  employer  not  just  the  go  between ..
I  would  say  the  township  one  was  illegal  if  the  new  company was  a  wholly owned  subsidiary  of  Namdeb .. if  it  was  another  completely  independent  company then its another issue  . but  then  at least   meet   the  same  conditions  as  previous  employment ..

[Jeremy Dixon]

Special brief from NAmdeb I recieved today!!


SPECIAL BRIEF ON HOSPITAL OUTSOURCING AND VOLUNTARY
SEPARATION (VS)

Introduction

We are pleased to be able to brief two important developments in our continuing
drive towards creating our future, being a smaller, more efficient, profitable
diamond mining operation with many years of operation ahead of it.

Hospital Outsourcing Update

As part of the Sida Ei !Gûs Positive Legacy workstream, and in preparation for
the town's proclamation there is recognition that Oranjemund will require a standalone
hospital.

To date we have gone out on tender as a potential route to outsource the
hospital. None of the tender submissions were viable therefore at the last
Namdeb Board meeting the Board approved that the hospital would be set up as
a wholly owned subsidiary of Namdeb.

While we continue to work on all aspects of setting up this subsidiary, I want to
assure you that health care continues to be important to Namdeb and that we will
continue to provide medical services to our employees and colleagues on our
operations.

At this stage it is planned that the setting up of the hospital will take
approximately seven months. We will keep you informed of progress.

Voluntary Separation (VS)

During the past few months a number of employees over the age of 50 have
approached their Line Managers and the HR Section to enquire about the
possibility of voluntary separation from Namdeb.

While all employees cannot be granted this opportunity, Management has agreed
to the implementation of Early Retirement under Voluntary Separation conditions
for employees 50 years and above in specific job categories in the A and B
Bands.

The Early Retirement under Voluntary Separation (VS) conditions process will be
applied as follows:


1.
Respective Line Managers will meet with affected employees and provide
them with their potential VS details.
2.
These employees have the right to decide whether or not they want to
apply for VS.
3.
Applications for VS need to be submitted to Diane Husselmann at Human
Resources Services from 1 May 2008 to 30 June 2008.
4.
Those employees who reach the age of 60 during the year up to 31
December 2008 will not be eligible for VS.
5.
In July 2008 all applications will be considered by respective Heads of
Departments who will make recommendations for the final approval of the
General Manager for the mine site and the Managing Director in the case
of the Windhoek Head Office.
6.
Employees will be given written feedback as to whether their application
for VS has been successful or not in July 2008.
7.
Most of the successful VS applicants will work their final shift on 31 August
2008, however Management will stagger the release dates of employees
in multi-skilled operator positions over several months so as not to place
the Company's Mining Operations at risk.
8.
VS only applies to permanent Namdeb employees.
9.
Employees who opt to accept the voluntary separation offers will be dealt
with in terms of the VS conditions.
10. The process will be completely voluntary and employees who fall within
the target group would of their own accord apply for Early Retirement
under Voluntary Separation conditions. No employee will be coerced into
applying for Early Retirement under Voluntary Separation conditions.
Conclusion

May you all have a wonderful long weekend, and thank you to those who are
keeping our operations running over Labour Day and Cassinga Day.

Finally, as many of you will be traveling over the next few days, I urge you to
drive carefully and return safely. The roads will be crowded and it is important to
drive defensively.

Chris Sivertsen
General Manager

[SandyB]

Uugh ! just hate/love  the way they put doublespeak .. just the way i see it .. Sida Ei !Gûs Positive Legacy workstream Just  what  the  f;;  is  that ..   I understand that  the shining fairy gold is  now drying up .. but why all this  expensive .. and yes it is  high faluting corporate  outof touch consultant wording worth .. just tell it  like it is ..  we have a strategy get together early June ... all fine and well .. but we got in email these templates to work to with strange names  sounding awfully like the  Sida ???????  I love to work free form  whimsical and actually seem to get results  by my  whimsical workings .. .. will say these templates every time I look at  them  give me cold sweat worse than fiiling in a tax form ... does not blow my hair back .. in fact turns it  into a worse mullet than  the blow up muscleman Vernon  has .. just got back from a bad braai .. everyone stupid  drunk and food late .. now me drunk too .. got three weeks to work onthis shit .. gonna have to  call in  favours ..  how do people actually learn this crap and then actually embrace it ??   maybe me  just peed off at  the  moment ??

[SandyB]

In closing.. these issues  if those well  clued up corporate whizzkids as they are should have seen coming years ao and been working the town towards " growing up ' into  the real world at least 15 - 20 years ago ... ??

[Michael Alexander]

Sandy , my sentiments exactly.... what a load of bollocks..."Sida Ei !Gûs Positive Legacy workstream"

What a load of corperate bull...... Who is the idiot who thinks up these names and phrases.... Mine diamonds  people, mine diamonds...focus on it...stop having useless meetings and dreaming up arty farty  reasons to have little meetings...Your employees, want a salary, they want to keep their job... it';s as easy as that, when the works finished...the diamonds are gone ..they go..... Hey have any of you ever heard of a Knowledge Manager? This mines got one....

[SandyB]

 :emot26:....    ... 

IOW ...  I  LOOK IT  UP  AND CANNOT  FIND  IT ...

There  you  have it ?? I do  not  use  emoticons often but  was  dumbstruck  so  could  not  form  words .... A KNOWLEDGE MANAGER ???

[Michael Alexander]

I like the way a few years back ,the mine would send out a memo saying that there will be a Power OUTAGE on sunday...what happened to good old fashion POWER CUT?

[SandyB]

Oops ..         I am guilty of using  that term at work ...  my logic there is ..  In  terms  relating to SA ...
Power failure >> da genrata she is broken .. 
Power  cut  >> You no pay da bill , we cut da powa ...     Snip !
Power outage >> We do  plan work on da generata  ..  or todays  scenario  ..We  make da big mistake  , so now  we plan da times of powalessness??

[SandyB]

On the subject of  powalessness ...  Did you  see the  front page of the Sunday times relating the shennanigans of the " new" eskom management ?/ only  a  shortsighted  focus on  enriching  themselves  that  resulted in  the current mess .. Now in the  laws of  most countries  destroying  power facilities amounts to sabotage and treason ...Did this bunch of self serving individuals  in  fact  not  destroy by  causing  neglect  commit  sabotage  which  is  treason ??   so  they  should be  charged and put behind bars ??   again it  mentions the Alec Erwin  lying by spin stories to try cover up .. ??  his punishment as I said  before ..    off the  ridiculous  haircut ,, rip off his ears  and  he  will then look  just like  the
pr.....k  that he  is ...

[DUNJA WRBKA]

 :emot19:  @ Sandy's "Alec Erwins fate... hehehehe

Yes Sandy, I read it but also knew about it for a while before reading the article.  I think its just so typical of what we are currently experiencing here in SA.  The fatcats are more concerned about lining their own pockets and making damn sure that they get as much as they can and it does not matter at who's expense.   

Oh I could go on and on about how I feel but will not waste my energy (excuse the pun)

Guess as our Minister of Safety and Security said "if you don't like it then leave"