{"id":63286,"date":"2024-02-21T10:20:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T10:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/workers-demand-answers-over-uumati-suspension"},"modified":"2024-02-21T10:40:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T10:40:06","slug":"workers-demand-answers-over-uumati-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/workers-demand-answers-over-uumati-suspension","title":{"rendered":"Workers demand answers over Uumati suspension"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>Employees of Erongo Marine Enterprises are up in arms over the suspension of the managing director, Martha Uumati. They are now demanding answers from their holding company, Oceana Group, alleging that Uumati is being subjected to corporate bullying by the group.<\/p>\n

The workers, who visited New Era yesterday, are demanding an immediate meeting with Oceana\u2019s top management. They claim to be in the dark about the suspension, as no one has addressed the developments in the company with them. \u201cNobody gets suspended just like that. They must come down to Namibia and explain to us fully what transpired. Uumati is one of the progressive bosses in the fishing industry, and a woman who had to toughen up against this male-dominated industry,\u201d the workers said. They added that her suspension was not done in accordance with the Namibian Labour Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will take it to the streets and protest for her reinstatement if they do not withdraw their so-called illegal suspension,\u201d the workers charged yesterday. The legal representative of the suspended Erongo Marine Enterprises\u2019 (EME) managing director has also questioned the motive behind his client\u2019s suspension, stating that there is more to it than what the company is willing to reveal. Richard Metcalfe of Metcalfe and Beukes attorneys said there was no board resolution taken on her suspension.<\/p>\n

The lawyer stated in a strongly-worded letter to Oceana Group, seen by New Era, that there is simply no resolution by the board of directors of EME regarding the suspension, and that it is unprocedural.<\/p>\n

Uumati was suspended on 13 February by Oceana Group CEO Neville Brink and Inna Botha. According to the suspension letter, Uumati disregarded an instruction<\/p>\n

to attend an important session in person in Cape Town. This publication understands that the meeting was scheduled to plan for a Namibia Competition Commission<\/p>\n

(NaCC) hearing, where EME is scheduled to appear.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are hereby informed of an investigation into your conduct and behaviour. Following this investigation and depending on the outcome thereof, charges may be levelled against you in a disciplinary inquiry. Due to the sensitivity of these allegations, the company believes it is necessary to suspend you with immediate effect, in your capacity as managing director of EME and board director, on full pay for the duration of the investigation and any disciplinary action\u201d, they wrote.<\/p>\n

Oceana Group, in the meantime, have appointed Callie Jacobs as the interim managing director of EME. However, Metcalfe questioned the suspension in a series of letters addressed to Oceana\u2019s legal representatives, Ko\u0308pplinger Boltman, stating that there is far more at play than what has been disclosed in correspondence to date.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease advise exactly on what corporate law your client purports to act in Namibia. Our client is not prepared to allow her good name and reputation to be sullied by foreigners. It is conceded that these two individuals have no legal entitlement in terms of Namibian company law to suspend our client as a director. Neither do such individuals have the right to suspend our client as managing director,\u201d he said in his letter.<\/p>\n

Questioning Jacobs\u2019 Appointment Metcalfe has also questioned the group\u2019s decision to appoint former managing director Jacobs as interim MD. He stressed that the appointment defies all reason in law and logic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn illegal, colonial mentality unfortunately shines glaringly through your illegal conduct,\u201d he stated in his letter.<\/p>\n

Metcalfe reasoned that the company is using dirty tactics, and has apparently issued an instruction that any leave applied for by his client must be refused.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, all of your illegal actions emanate from white persons, and are aimed at an eminently educated and competent black female to tarnish her<\/p>\n

image. Your conduct smacks of blatant racism and gender discrimination,\u201d he continued. Precautionary Ko\u0308pplinger Boltman replied that Uumati is only on precautionary suspension, despite the initial letter not noting it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the outset, we are instructed to record that your client has not been suspended or removed from her function and office as director of the board of EME. She is only on precautionary suspension in her capacity as an employee in the position.<\/p>\n

As a shareholder of EME, the company reserves its rights in respect of the provisions of section 228 of the Companies Act, Act 28 of 2004,\u201d the letter seen by New Era reads.<\/p>\n

It further noted that Uumati is suspended from her duties, \u201cwith suspension conditions intended to protect the interests of both your client, her employer, and the shareholders\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ko\u0308pplinger Boltman furthermore indicated that to have reported for duty yesterday would not have been in the interests of both Uumati and the company, as well as the shareholders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would not be in your client\u2019s best interests to breach such conditions by reporting for duty on Monday, 19 February 2024. In regard to the allegations of \u2018an<\/p>\n

illegal colonial mentality\u2019 and \u2018blatant racism and gender discrimination\u2019, as referred to in your letter, kindly confirm that such statements were made on your client\u2019s instructions to you. Our clients, in any event, reserve their rights in respect thereof,\u201d they observed. However, Uumati showed up for work yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsequently, our client was advised at such juncture to depart from the premises of her employment as managing director at Erongo Marine Enterprises. She was<\/p>\n

advised to capture every minute of her time at Erongo Marine Enterprises (Pty) Ltd on video. This video recording is now safely in our custody,\u201d Metcalfe stated. The company’s lawyers stated that<\/p>\n

Uumati opted to resolve the dispute regarding her suspension by escalating it to the Labour Commissioner, and \u201cthe appropriate forum for our client to respond to such allegations will be during the upcoming conciliation and arbitration proceedings\u201d. Meanwhile, she has withdrawn her claims from the Labour Commissioner.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. Employees of Erongo Marine Enterprises are up in arms over the suspension of the managing director, Martha Uumati. They are now demanding answers from their holding company, Oceana Group, alleging that Uumati is being subjected to corporate bullying by the group. The workers, who visited New Era yesterday, are demanding an immediate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":63285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-63286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nWorkers demand answers over Uumati suspension - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Employees of Erongo Marine Enterprises are up in arms over the suspension of the managing director, Martha Uumati. 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