OUR
PEOPLE

Our people are the most important asset of our business. To sustain and expand our operations, we need a safe, healthy, and engaged workforce.

Aspiring to be an employer of choice, Rössing Uranium provides long-term and rewarding employment by investing in its people throughout their careers. We believe that through employment creation, we are making significant contributions to society and the Namibian economy and contribute positively to our partnerships with local communities and other stakeholders.

We recognise the importance of attracting, developing and retaining people with diverse backgrounds in our business and realise the benefits of developing the skills of others. It is the mandate of the Training and Development division to see that this commitment is demonstrated and aligned with Rössing’s needs and objectives.

We understand that our operational environment may be hazardous, and for this reason the identification and management of material risks are crucial in our business approach. We consistently strive to create a zero-harm working environment, regardless of where our people work or what type of work they are engaged in.

Workforce at a glance

At the end of 2022, Rössing Uranium had a workforce totalling 901, consisting of 873 permanent employees and 28 employees with fixed term employment contracts as at 31 December 2022.

Employee relations

The Industrial climate and our relationship with the union has improved significantly and remained stable for constructive engagement. No strikes or demonstrations were experienced in 2022. Communication structures and platforms remain in place and are effective. Our two-year agreement for 2022 to 2023 will require further wage negotiations during 2023. No disputes between the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (Rössing branch) and Rössing were declared during 2022.

 

 

Workforce Profile (2018 – 2022)

Statistical information on our workforce profile, 2022

Local and foreign employees:

  • Namibians with permanent employment, fixed term employment contracts and sponsored Rӧssing Foundation employee: 99% (890)
  • Non-Namibians, including FTC: 1.2% (11)
  • Female representation, including expats and FTC: 19% (174)
  • Number of employees who left the mine’s employment: 68
  • Number of new employees recruited: 26

Training and Development

A new norm has been created in the training and development space as an aftermath of the pandemic. It focuses on a blended training approach to deal with the unforeseen changes in the business. Rössing changed its training and development landscape by redesigning its training strategy to ensure it has an agile workforce, keeping employees’ skills current, and focusing on re-skilling and upskilling.

Our upskilling and re-skilling initiatives have yielded excellent results by achieving a good safety record and reaching our production targets. Four hundred and fifty-two employees attended various safety and support equipment and compliance training, and 392 employees attended various functional technical training. Our technical training initiatives focus on value-adding skills and knowledge thatcontribute to innovation and business improvement.

Fourteen operators (permanent employees) who were in possession of a National Vocational Trade Diploma were provided an opportunity to participate in the trainee-artisans internal development programme. All 14 employees successfully completed their first year. The training programme is tailored to Rössing’s operation, allowing the employees an opportunity to gain valuable practical experience toenhance competencies to enable them to become skilled artisans.

The focus for 2022 was on enhancing our talent and succession management processes and building capacity to lead more effectively, explore uncharted leadership qualities, improve self-awareness, and refresh leadership competencies to improve team and company performance. One hundred and ninety-three frontline leaders and managers underwent the leadership assessments and embarked onformal group and individual coaching.

The pandemic has fast-tracked the demand for eLearning and Rössing Uranium rose to the challenge by developing and implementing 42 structured interactive online courses, which are available to employees through the Rössing Learners Management System (“LMS”). The eLearning strategy was implemented to improve efficiencies, reduce training time and costs, and increase productivity. A total of 1,274 employee online courses were completed

Educational support

Part of the training and development strategy is to create opportunities for employees to invest in personal development through our correspondence study scheme. Thirty-one permanent employees were awarded interest-free loans to pursue their studies and obtain formal undergraduate qualifications, and fifteen permanent employees were awarded financial assistance for postgraduate qualifications. Rössing further provided none-refundable financial contributions towards the tuition fees of 24 children of both permanent employees and pensioners who were furthering their studies at various universities.

Vocational Education and Training Levy

Rössing has been participating in the Vocational Education and Training Levy submission since inception and has paid N$8,360,028.08 for the 2022 Training Levy cycle.

Twenty trainees from the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology vocational training centre were provided an opportunity to work alongside skilled artisans to gain valuable technical skills and knowledge.

Rössing Uranium further provided opportunities to six interns in the geology, water management and human resources fields from various Namibian universities. This saw them participate in various projects while gaining valuable on-the-job experience.