Displaying items by tag: Cheetah Cement

Namibia: The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) and Cheetah Cement yesterday reached a wage agreement to end a strike that has crippled the company’s Otjiwarongo plant for the past three months. A total of 80 Cheetah Cement’s employees, which is the trading name of the Chinese-owned company Whale Rock Cement (WRC), had been striking after the company and the MUN failed to reach an agreement in negotiations about wage increases and improved conditions of service.

The agreement will see all workers receive a 5% increase in salary, as well as a 5% increase in housing allowances. “We would like to place on record that the company's generous offer is not based on an admission of affordability but rather a commitment to bring an end to the prolonged wage dispute,” said WRC’s general manager Kevin Lee said in a statement.

Other increases include the company paying 80% of employees’ medical aid contributions, the introduction of a new pension fund in January 2023 and back-pay for 12 months at employees’ new rates, to be paid by the company within 14 days.

Namibia: Limestone mining hours at Cheetah Cement were reduced by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation on 19 August 2022. In a notice issued by the ministry, the company was ordered to stop operational activities in its quarry site between 18:00 and 06:00 due to insufficient lighting at the site. The same notice also temporarily suspends the use of forklift machines inside the factory until they are serviced to a satisfactory level.

“The notice is in full force from 19 August 2022 until all corrective measures are effected to the occupational and health safety officers of the ministry,” stated the notice.
Cheetah Cement’s Public Relations O fficer, Tabby Moyo, said that the suspension for overnight mining would not affect the company, as mining during daylight hours provides sufficient raw materials for production, adding that any other irregularities indicated in the notice will be resolved as soon as possible.

This is the second time that Cheetah Cement has been issued a notice by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation due to non-compliance of labour laws relating to the health and safety of employees. In May 2022, the factory was closed for 11 days when the factory was instructed to rectify issues in its cement mill, packing plant, warehouse and workshop.

Namibia: 200 Cheetah Cement employees have gone on strike to protest low wages and lack of pensions and medical aid. The Namibia Press Agency has reported that salaries have fallen behind inflation, having remained level for four years.

Cheetah Cement general manager Kevin Lee called strikers’ demands ‘unrealistic’ and said that the producer had done everything in its power, but now ended in a ‘deadlock’ with workers.

Namibia: The Namibian government has granted Whale Rock Cement permission to resume production of its Cheetah brand cement at its Otjiwarongo grinding plant. Authorities suspended operations at the plant on 10 May 2022.Labour Ministry acting executive director Lydia Indombo cited multiple contraventions of occupational safety regulations, including failure to issue personal protective equipment (PPE), failure to maintain good housekeeping, lack of sanitary conveniences and lack of first aid equipment, as the cause of the suspension.

Indombo said "The ministry conducted verification inspections on 16 and 20 May 2022 to evaluate the compliance on the identified shortfalls and is satisfied with the level of compliance." She added that the ministry had recommended the resumption of production activities.

Namibia: The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation has shut down production at the Whale Rock Cement plant near Otjiwarongo due to non-compliance with labour laws on the health and safety of employees. A notice was delivered instructing the factory to close its grinding station, packing machine, cement warehouse and cement workshop, according to the Namibia Press Agency. The plant has been ordered to remain closed until all hazardous areas have been made safe. This is expected to take a week. Affected employees are entitled to full remuneration during this period.

The decision to close the plant followed labour inspections in April and May 2022. During the inspections one employee reportedly lost a finger at the pallet stacking area and another sustained finger injuries when he was unblocking the dust collector. Workers said that they work in a dusty environment with no dust masks. They also alleged that a Chinese supervisor brings a gun to work to intimidate them.

The cement company is a Chinese joint-venture and it also trades under the Cheetah Cement brand name. Around 210 Namibians and 44 Chinese nationals work for the company. In April 2022 eight workers at the plant were deported to China for working without adequate work permits.

Namibia: Immigration authorities have deported eight illegal Whale Rock Cement workers back to China. The Namibia Press Agency has reported that a court sentenced the Chinese nationals to deportation and fined them US$403 each.

Whale Rock Cement has reportedly launched its own legal action against vigilante workers’ rights group Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF), which uncovered the illegal practices, for trespassing.

Namibia: Immigration authorities have apprehended eight Chinese employees of Whale Rock Cement at the company’s Otjiwarongo grinding plant who failed to produce working permits during an inspection. Namibian Press Agency News has reported that seven of the workers have been in Namibia since mid-2021, while the eighth arrived in March 2022.

Namibia: Employees at Cheetah Cement have expressed ‘dismay’ with the lack of Namibians in higher ranks and managerial positions at the cement producer, despite them holding the relevant qualifications. The workers claim that Cheetah Cement, located a few kilometres north of Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region, largely employs Chinese nationals.

According to a recent grievance letter seen by The Namibian newspaper, the workers claim that the company currently employ more Chinese workers than local ones, even where Namibian employees have the necessary skills for those positions.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one employee described the workings of the company’s 'understudy programme,’ which positions a Namibian to work under a Chinese employee, supposedly to allow an exchange of skills. The source stressed that the Namibian employees are often more qualified than their Chinese counterparts.

Furthermore, the letter details complaints about poor and unfair working conditions, amongst them the absence of work contracts, lack of medical aid, plus low wages and victimisation.

Namibia: The Whale Rock Cement plant is set to start producing cement at its new grinding plant near Otjiwarongo in April 2018. Using the Cheetah Cement brand name the company had originally intended to start production in January 2018, according to the Namibia Press Agency. Clinker for the plant has been imported from Egypt. Previously, the imported cement was reported by local media as coming from China.

Originally the company intended to buy clinker from a local producer but the negotiations failed leading the cement producer to buy imports instead. Around 24,000t of clinker from a total of 40,000t have been transported from Walvis Bay to Otjiwarongo by 732 trucks. Once fully operational in August 2018 the plant is expected to create around 600 jobs. The company is a joint venture between China’s Asia-Africa Business Management and Whale Rock Cement.

Namibia: Cheetah Cement has imported 40,000t of clinker from China via the Port of Walvis Bay. The clinker will be transported by truck to the cement producer’s plant in Otjiwarongo, according to the Namibian Sun newspaper. The company is a joint venture between China’s Asia-Africa Business Management and Whale Rock Cement. Its plant was reported ‘complete’ in late 2017 but construction work continued into January 2018.