148 Striking Diamond Workers Dismissed

According to reports in the Namibian press, 148 workers at Lev Leviev Diamonds’ polishing plant have been dismissed after three weeks of striking, and another 100 are expected to be served with termination notices in the coming days.

The strike started late June when employees demanded the resignation of a manager, accused of ‘various improprieties,’ according to The Namibian. The workers were accused by LLD of holding an illegal strike.

The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) maintains that the firing is illegal.

Leviev opened the diamond cutting and polishing plant in Windhoek in June 2004. At the time, LLD expected to manufacture local goods, mined by Leviev’s Sakawe Mining Corporation (Samicor) and other producers.

The factory reportedly has the capacity to process 25,000 to 30,000 carats of diamonds a month and employ more than 500 people at full operation.