Africa-Press – Namibia. Operations at one of Namibia’s largest manufacturing companies, Plastic Packaging, have come to a standstill as 510 employees downed tools in a countrywide strike.
The strike, which started on Tuesday, follows months of failed wage negotiations between the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (Manwu) and Plastic Packaging’s management.
The workers are demanding a 6% salary increase, a N$100 housing allowance, and full back pay dating back to March.
Manwu deputy secretary general Angula Angula says the employees had reached breaking point after talks with the company’s management failed to yield progress.
“We have been engaging the employer since January. Several meetings were held, but we could not reach concessions. The workers’ position is clear: They want a 6% back pay and N$100 for housing,” he says.
Angula says the strike affected all 10 Plastic Packaging branches in Namibia, including those at Okahandja, Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Rundu and Otjiwarongo.
Plastic Packaging shop steward Elias Shalimba says the workers were disappointed after not receiving their annual increment in March.
“Normally, we get our increase from 1 March. This year, nothing was given. That is why we decided to go on strike,” Shalimba said while addressing workers outside the company premises in Windhoek this week.
He said the employees were united in their demands.
“We are here together, united in the same spirit. The company must answer to us. We need a 6% increase, a N$100 housing allowance, and full back pay. That is what we demand,” he said.
Plastic Packaging managing director Nico du Plessis this week confirmed the strike and expressed concern about its impact on the company and its clients.
Founded in 1982, Plastic Packaging is a fully Namibian-owned and operated business, supplying packaging materials to industries countrywide.
Du Plessis confirmed that the company employs 510 workers nationwide, making it one of the largest employers in the manufacturing sector.
He stressed that while the company valued its employees, it could not meet demands that exceeded inflation.
“Our lowest-paid employee already earns more than double the official Namibian minimum wage, excluding overtime and bonuses. Salaries are by far the biggest expense on our income statement.
Meeting the demands of double inflation would put the business at risk and threaten the livelihoods of all 510 employees,” he said.
Du Plessis said the company’s management had offered a 4% increase and a N$30 housing allowance, which was rejected.
The union, however, maintains that the company is in a position to meet workers’ demands.
“Plastic Packaging is a strong team and has been in operation for decades. We believe the demands of the employees are reasonable and can be met,” Manwu regional coordinator Sanchez Matias says.
He says the union would continue engaging the employer in the hope of reaching an agreement.
“We anticipate fruitful negotiations. As a union, our position is very clear: We stand with our members until their demands are met,” Matias says.
NEXT STEPS
Both sides have signalled a willingness to return to the negotiating table, but no date has been set for the next round of talks.
The strike has halted production across Plastic Packaging’s 10 branches, raising concerns about potential disruptions in supply to industries dependent on the company’s products.
Du Plessis says the company’s management was hopeful of finding common ground.
“We remain confident that we will resolve this matter and welcome our employees back to the family so we can continue doing what we do best, serving our customers and our economy with good packaging solutions,” he says.
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