Namdeb – Namibia's joint diamond production venture between De Beers and the Namibian government – has locked striking mine workers out of its defunct Bogenfels operation and is threatening to take civil action against strikers and the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), The Namibian news website reports.



The strike at Bogenfels began on Tuesday and has cost Namdeb N$4 million a day.



In May, Namdeb announced that 50 Bogenfels employees would be transferred to other diamond mining operations at Oranjemund and Luderitz, but will have to forfeit a housing allowance. Namdeb argues that the workers cannot receive housing money while living in company-provided accommodations.

In May, employees were informed via a confidential memo that if they did not agree to a cancellation of their housing and living allowances starting June 1, they would be fired within five days.



Namdeb has called the labor dispute illegal; the MUN maintains that the action is legal, a claim that is reportedly backed by the Office of the Labour Commissioner.