By Estacio Valoi
According to employees of that mining company located in the district of Montepuez in the province of Cabo Delgado, despite the persecution, threats of dismissal and blackmail that became a constant practice of the mining company Gemrock against its workers, last December the mining company paid part of the salary into debt. towards the workers
After a struggle, this is because, “getting money is a problem, so the company has been owing workers for three to five months,” as Belarmino, a native of Montepuez, said, one of the mining company’s 28-year-old employees, who doesn’t know how to support his five children he has, buy food, take care of his wife, Gemrock also said that he will pay the remaining salary this month of January 2024. “They paid for three months, now there are three months left that they said they will pay us this month.” He emphasized the source.
“We are Gemrock workers, we even have badges. The company hasn’t paid us for all these months. They treat us badly. The treatment is not equal, first point, it is a problem for us to receive our salaries. We are an average of 250 workers. Since 2017 in the community, since the company has been here in terms of social responsibility, it hasn’t done anything so far, not even a school, the community is complaining a lot, the leaders complain but to no avail.”
The promises made to the community by the mining company Gemrock were so many but so far none of them have been fulfilled, visits from the mining company’s representatives made to the community but only to once again deceive the communities, many of them and or in general remain in their houses built of mud bricks , yard covered in falling bamboo, no school, forced to travel distances to go to the health center
“We don’t even know if it’s Gemrock or Mozgem anymore. In the month of May of this year, 2023, we think it was the owner of the company himself, an Indian gentleman came here with a Dutchman, once again they made promises to build, school, boreholes, roads but so far they have done nothing.” And they complained to the district management, and they were successful. Mark Janro Managing Director of the company Gemrock, when we complained, he told us. ‘The door is open, you can come out as there are many people who want to work.”
There are many workers who are not being paid. The company’s management itself said it has no money. They don’t want to tell us whether the company went bankrupt or not. Most of the workers are now at home because the company has no fuel, they say the company went bankrupt.
When we workers demand our wages, we are threatened, beaten, and expelled without prior notice or disciplinary proceedings. Three people were expelled from the kitchen, three people were also expelled from Geology, and their names are Adolfo Severino and Bento Rodrigues, plus a driver, one from armament and one from engineering. When leaving the camp, they took something to feed their families.
A total of nine people were expelled immediately, and without salaries, the people in management also did the same but were not expelled. (Moz24h)