Africa-Press – Namibia. SECURITY guards working for Shilimela Security Company in the Zambezi region have embarked on a strike until their May salaries are paid in full and their other demands are honoured.
The company is owned by Banda Shilimela, and employs more than 159 employees.
The workers, who gathered opposite Shilimela Security Company’s regional office yesterday, noted that it has become a tradition for them to fight to be paid on time, despite working throughout the month.
In a petition read on their behalf by Elizabeth Andreas, the striking security guards demanded timely salary payments, specifically on the 25th of each month as per their contract.
“We need the company to provide us with full uniforms/protective gear and treat us with respect. The company should also stop with illegal deductions from our salaries. We need them to respect our rights as workers,” she said.
The Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) regional coordinator in the Zambezi region, Alex Taimo, said Natau is worried because delayed salary payments are a monthly occurrence.
“The excuse the company owner is giving every month is that they cannot pay their workers because their clients are not paying them on time. However, that excuse is not valid because as a company owner you should not only depend on your clients to be able to pay your employees. You must have other means to get money to pay your employees. They are in violation of the employees’ rights by not honouring the date of payment,” he said.
Taimo said if the problem persists, Natau will have no choice but to take the company to court because this is a dispute of rights.
Shilimela, when contacted for comment yesterday, said they could not pay their employees on time because their client only paid them for their services for May late on Tuesday afternoon.
He said they cannot operate smoothly because of clients that owe them over N$27 million.
“We have paid the workers today. We are not the cause of the salary delays, it’s our clients who are paying us late,” he said.
Shilimela also said the worker’s claims of a lack of uniforms and illegal deductions are false.
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