The workers involved in the construction of the Dugongo Cement Plant in Nacala, Nampula province, are complaining of various problems such as lack of contracts, physical aggression, unfair dismissals, among other situations of mistreatment and injustice in the workplace.

Three months have passed since the work began, but there has never been any improvement in the injustices, according to the workers, i.e. the work began with problems and there is no sign of any improvement in the situation, according to the local newspaper Wamphula fax.

The workers, visibly upset, say that they have no employment contract and not even a document confirming any connection with the company. Quoted by the same publication, the complainants say that they have no personal protective equipment to carry out their work, which is why they believe that they are facing a genuine violation of human rights on the part of the employer.

"On the ground, we learned that the construction workers are paid 200 meticais a day and the master builders earn 250 meticais. However, this amount is only paid when the daily tasks are completed. The workers' representative, Ussene Mário, explained that the servants are forced to dig deep holes with pickaxes to lay the foundations of the infrastructures that are to be built, but without observing any health and safety rules," reads the same publication.

What's more, according to the workers, Dugongo doesn't observe public holidays and doesn't allow employees to rest at weekends. Sometimes they work up to 18 hours, but the overtime is not compensated.

According to Ussene Ali, the employees tried to lodge their complaints with the employer, but the company's managers never moved a straw to meet their demands.

As a result, the mass of workers decided to stop work as a way of putting pressure on the bosses to resolve their grievances. The protesters are demanding the right to food, because the few 90-minute breaks they are entitled to do not allow them to go home for the day's meal due to the distance.

According to the complainants, the work is forced and exhausting due to the fact that they don't have access to drinking water and safe food, stressing that they serve ready-to-eat food that is sold by a group of women entrepreneurs positioned outside the camp.

In addition to the situations described above, employees say that some colleagues of Chinese nationality often beat up Mozambicans without any justification.

The complainants also say that they don't receive any assistance when accidents occur at work, so much so that employees who are involved in a disaster have to choose between continuing to provide services or leaving to look after their own health.

Faced with these irregularities, a multisectoral team made up of technicians from the District Labor Services, District Planning and Infrastructure Services and members of the Republic of Mozambique Police (PRM) went to the field to try to mediate the situation.

At the end of the talks, the director of the Nacala District Labor Services, Dallas Pipas, refused to give any kind of statement to the media, allegedly because he is not authorized to speak on the matter.