Koidu Limited enjoins on Workers to resume work

Head of Corporate Affairs at Koidu Limited, Ibrahim Turay, has called on his colleague workers to resume work and wait for the outcome of the negotiations.

Turay made this statement during an interview with ‘Voice of Kono Radio’ on the recent developments, where workers embarked on a sit-down protest at the mine site in Koidu Limited, Kono District.

It could be recalled that since the mines was short down, work ground to a standstill, with both the company and the government losing huge amounts of money.

“When the National staff of a company downed tools, effectively shutting down operations, it had a rippling effect on the company, business people and the government, as it is only when the company sells diamonds that it will be able to pay royalty to government, which the government then uses to address its national development plans,” Turay said.

He furthered that the sit-down protest staged by the workers resulted in a standoff, noting that this has caused serious setback to the company, the business people and the government. He added that even workers and market women are also going to lose, because it is only when the company is in operation that they are able to make money.

When asked by Voice of Kono that rumors in circulation alleged that Koidu Holdings Limited will not listen to the First Lady, Turay stated that the information is not true. He said that their national staff make up the majority of the workforce, and for them, stopping work will contribute negatively to the operations of the company. “The country loses in terms of royalty, levied taxes, withholding tax, etc.,” Turay said.

Responding to questions asked by Voice of Kono Radio over allegations that Koidu Holdings Limited is not going to engage the First Lady, but will only engage the Minister of Labour, Turay debunked the rumors as false. “We did not make such statements. Discussion are ongoing on how to address the demands of the workers,” he maintained.

Turay also furthered that the issue of percentage that was brought up by the First Lady and aggrieved workers, as referenced by Voice of Kono for clarification, are all part of the issues under discussion.

Referencing a discussion they had with the Deputy Minister of Labour, Kai Lawrence Bayoh, Voice of Kono threw it as a question to Mr. Turay that Minister Bayoh told them that they intend to make public the proceeds of Koidu Holdings Limited annually for public knowledge. Turay responded that it has been on going, as the company is fully aware that it is a public information. This, he said, has been ongoing, explaining that during mining operations, government authorities are there to verify the process. “Also, whatever we mined before taken out for sales, usually go through strict government processes and procedures, with government entities like National Minerals Agency always being there. Diamonds mined are kept in a secured location, where NMA representatives on the mining site have access to, adding that NMA also have one key to the safe where mined diamonds are kept before taken to Freetown to undergo some checks at Precious Minerals Trading (PMT), whose office is the Bank of Sierra Leone. “At PMT, the diamonds are tested and valued. As for the Kimberley agreement, I am not aware whether a representative from the local mining community is involved before the diamonds are exported, but I know the process is very transparent before reaching the port,” he averred.

When asked about issues of risk allowance, Turay responded that the demands from the workers is a package, and management is discussing it and very soon a conclusion will be reached. “My advice to my colleague Koidu Limited workers is for them to look at the bigger picture. The involvement of the First Lady is just like a mother speaking on behalf of her children, which is very timely, and therefore, my advice is for us to resume work while negotiations are ongoing. Let us allow the Minister of Labour to continue with the negotiations. We just need to trust the process, as the Minister is there to represent aggrieved workers. Let’s try to deescalate the tension and work towards sanity. Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Bio is part of the process, because she is also a Kono person,” Turay concluded.