Africa-Press – Namibia. TEN defence ministry officials want the government to pay them according to their academic qualifications because some of their colleagues also benefited from a similar salary scheme for close to four years.
The officials, who are all serving in various ranks from several departments filed a lawsuit in October 2021 at the High Court. The case is still ongoing. The defence ministry has over the years faced widespread allegations of favouritism over how it employs or promotes officials within its ranks.
Now, documents show that there is a case unfolding at the courts that includes 10 defence force officials who are unhappy that some officials benefited from a salary incentive scheme started in 2016.
The aggrieved officials are Fidelus Khana, Phillipus Amunyela, Elizabeth Atutishi, Vioscar Balowa, Maria Ndili, Benhard Kiinge, Malima Lukas, Anna Amukambo, Wilma Aikuti and Arsenio Batista.
Court papers show that the group’s concerns are linked to a 2016 decision by top military bosses to pay defence officials based on their qualifications.
This scheme started after brigadier general Charles Soja wrote to all the heads of departments in the ministry in January 2016, complaining that his directorate was experiencing a high number of staff resignations for high paying jobs.
According to him, the resignations were mostly linked to the fact that other civil servants with the same qualifications performing the same duties were paid higher salaries than that of military officials. He advised the ministry to pay all officials with qualifications and experience to avoid losing them.
The new system of paying officials was approved by the then chief of defence, John Mutwa, in February 2016. But the scheme only benefited around 44 defence officials – mostly from the Directorate of Human Resources.
However, a group of defence force officials felt they were sidelined from the scheme. They subsequently asked the ministry to pay them based on their qualifications, but their plea allegedly fell on deaf ears.
The group said they “have been excluded to benefit from the practice of remuneration according to academic qualifications since 2016, while their colleagues with similar qualifications have benefited”.
The aggrieved officials have qualifications such as: a master’s degree in logistics; a diploma in human resource, journalism; a degree in public management; a degree in marketing; a degree in business administration; and a diploma in computer engineering.
Their expectation to benefit from the scheme was dashed last year when chief of the Namibian defence force Martin Pinehas stopped the practice of paying officials based on their qualifications.
Pinehas halted the practice in April 2021, a year after his appointment. A document obtained from the court papers shows that Pinehas defended his decision to stop the practice of paying officials based on their academic qualifications.
“The defence inspectorate is stunned with quite a number of complaints from military personnel asking to be remunerated according to their academic qualifications,” Pinehas said in a letter dated 28 April 2021, and addressed to all heads of departments in the ministry.
He said there is a difference between the salary structure of civil servants and that of military officials. Pinehas admitted that the earlier decision to pay salaries based on qualifications was an oversight. He encouraged the military forces to stop forwarding their qualifications in the hope of benefiting from the salary scheme.
To the 10 aggrieved defence force officials, this was clear-cut discrimination. They describe the practice of selective payment as a “blatant act of partisanship” in the defence ministry. According to them, the chief of defence failed to ensure that they benefit from the scheme and that his decision was made without consultations.
The defence ministry is yet to respond to the court papers filed by the 10 officials, while the parties involved in the case held a mediation session last month to find a solution that would avoid a court case.
Defence minister Frans Kapofi said yesterday that he was not aware of the lawsuit. Lawyer Kadhila Amoomo, who is representing the 10 military officials, told The Namibian last week that the ministry’s decision to pull the plug on the salary scheme reeks of favouritism.
“For years the force rewarded its members based on academic attainment. Suddenly, the force put to an end a remunerative policy and practice which favoured those with specific academic qualifications,” Amoomo said.
He added: “Our clients obviously have legitimate expectations that they will also benefit. This is especially so because of the similar work that they are carrying out in comparison to those who have benefited from the remunerative practice.” The aggrieved defence officials want the High Court to cancel Pinehas’s April 2021 decision.
They also want back-pay in accordance with the adjusted salaries dating back to the effective date of their transfers of the positions they currently hold. In addition, they want the court to order that their salaries be adjusted like those of their colleagues with qualifications or alternatively, that they be promoted to the rank of lieutenant as is the practice with lawyers, nurses and doctors.
Last week, Kapofi rejected claims that some army officials are involved in sex for promotion. “Those female naval officers are professional people serving their country with pride and are not sex objects,” he said in parliament last week.
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