Mozambican Sasol workers

Mozambican workers at Sasol Petroleum Temane (SPT) are demanding wage increases and a review of their employment contracts.The South African multinational, which has processed natural gas in Inhambane province for 12 years, says it “hardly generates any profits in Mozambique and employs only 147 workers”, reports A Verdade. Mozambican workers at Temane feel that their “social and working conditions have been deteriorating steadily due to the ways the management has been managing work activities,” according to a protest note sent to the company which A Verdade has seen.Workers demand “salary adjustment in accordance with the salary scale in force at Sasol Pande e Temane (SPT) in the last five years, which the management of the company keeps secret, creating an increasing lack of transparency in wages”.The workers say it is necessary to “review employment contracts as a result of changes in working conditions unilaterally imposed by the employer”.They are demanding that use of temporary labour be curtailed and that the manager and the human resources consultants be dismissed because they “use delaying tactics to drag the workers into poverty”.Workers had scheduled a strike at SPT for Monday February 22, but A Verdade has ascertained that the strike was suspended following negotiations that began over the week-end.Although the South African multinational has invested US$1.2 billion, the Survey on Household Budget 2014/2015 found that not many jobs were created for Mozambicans in Inhambane province. From 2008/2009 to 2014/2015, the mining industry in Inhambane registered an increase from only 0.2% to 0.8% of jobs.Earlier this month, Sasol was approved by the government as operator of the first oil well in Mozambique. It is not yet known how many jobs will be created or the details of the production sharing and production agreements governing the new US$2 billion venture.