Africa-Press – Namibia. Business Reporter COMMEMORATING Workers’ Day which is slated for 1 May 2022, the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Utoni Nujoma, encouraged workers to do more to fight for their rights, stating that a bulk of Namibian workers are underpaid and lack protection for their health and safety in the workplace.
Nujoma stated that the current Labour Act supports the establishment of trade unions and establishes basic rights and protection for workers as well as basic conditions of employment. However, the current situation in Namibia’s world of work does not measure up to the visions and principles set out in our laws, Nujoma noted.
“I regret to say that not all employers view trade unions as a positive force in Namibian’s socio-economic development or as their partners, and not all employers respect the dignity of their employees or subscribe to the goals of decent work. A large percentage of Namibian workers are low-paid and lack protection for their health and safety. Unemployment is threatening the future of our youth. The vestiges of discrimination on the basis of race, sex and/or disability, among other grounds, persist in some sectors and some workplaces,” Nujoma said.
He further raised concern about the ongoing cases of child labour in Namibia and added that too many workers are subjected to violence and harassment at work, including gender-based violence and sexual harassment.
“A large complement of Namibian workers are trying to earn a livelihood in the informal sector without legal protection. This situation must be reversed, if we are to move forward as a nation,” Nujoma said.
He strongly encouraged Namibian workers to learn about the rights and protections guaranteed to them by the labour and employment laws, including the right to join a trade union.
“If workers are able to engage with their employers through well-functioning democratic trade unions, they will achieve better wages, better conditions of employment and an overall better standard of living. This has been the experience throughout the world for more than a century,” Nujoma said. The labour minister also attacked political organisations and individuals who are not registered as bargaining agents for workers.
“I want to comment on the efforts of some of the political parties and individual aspiring politicians or businessmen to project themselves as the modern-day saviours of Namibian workers, even to the point of engaging in guerrilla theatre in order to disrupt business operations when they have never been authorized by workers to represent them. This is the height of arrogance and paternalism toward the workers for whom they purport to speak. They are acting in violation of the laws, including criminal laws. These politicians, some of whom are elected officials and law-makers, should respect Namibian workers and the laws of Namibia,” Nujoma concluded.
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