The Diamond Trading Company (DTC) Botswana is putting the security of its diamonds at risk by using non-production workers to process diamonds while members of the Botswana Diamond Sorters and Valuators Union are on strike, the Mmegi news site reports.

Mmegi.bw quoted union head Jacob Pasopi saying on Friday that union members who were performing "minimum duties" – as mutually agreed since the strike took effect – had registered complaints, saying that DTC management had violated the agreement by using non-production employees from the technical, communications, and auditing staff to perform additional diamond processing duties.

According to the union, this violates security policy, which stipulates that no person other than diamond production staff touch the diamonds and that anyone not involved in rough diamond processing be escorted by security when entering the diamond production area.

DTC Botswana Spokesman Kago Mmopi said in response that the union's allegations were unfounded and stressed that "DTC Botswana is fully complying with the strike rules."

The DTCB workers went on strike last week after negotiations with management over a wage increase and allowances broke down. Pasopi said that union members would remain on strike "until management meets their demands."