The weekly Lesotho Times reported that, after the two parties failed to reach an agreement, 24 staff members took the matter to the Directorate of Dispute Prevention and Resolution (DDPR). They were fired after embarking on a two-day strike over work conditions.

The parties then remained deadlocked during the conciliation phase of the process.

The workers had staged a two-day job stay-away from September 11 to 12 after what they described as their employer’s unsatisfactory response to a list of grievances they had submitted. The picketing workers were subsequently dispersed by riot police.

Medigrow Lesotho, which has since changed its corporate name to MG Health Limited, was licensed in 2016 to cultivate, extract and process medical cannabis and hemp for medical purposes.

The company has major Canadian firm Supreme Cannabis as one of its major partners after it injected 10 million Canadian dollars (about US$7,7 million) into the project. The company currently has about 340 workers.

The workers complained that they were being subjected to inhumane treatment by, among other things being forced to take cold showers upon arrival at work even during the cold winter seasons before commencing their duties.

They also claimed that only unskilled workers were singled out for this type of treatment while their skilled counterparts were exempted.

The workers were also not happy with being asked to use company-supplied underwear during working hours and to leave it at work. They said this could expose them to serious health complications as the underwear is collectively washed and given back to them the next day.

They further demanded to be paid for the time spent in the shower as they consider this as part of their working hours. 

African News Agency (ANA)