Teachers warn of ‘dire consequences’ over salaries
OGONE TLHAGE
WINDHOEK
The Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) says government should be wary of its actions over the next three months, and that there could be dire consequences should the salaries of civil servants not be hiked after the tabling of the national budget.
Its secretary-general Mahongora Kavihuha said teachers' salaries had not been hiked over seven fiscal years, saying the situation had raised concerns within the union.
"Civil servants have gone for over seven years now without salary adjustments and the standard of living in the country has literally gone through the roof or down the drain, whichever is worse," he said.
He cited a report saying 1.6 million Namibians were living in poverty, adding that it was clear that people were scrounging for food.
"You have heard it being said that 1.6 million Namibians are living in abject poverty and you and myself see this on a daily basis. Who does not see how our people have been reduced to scrounging for food and other sources of livelihoods from the dustbins on the streets of this once magnificent city [Windhoek]? Yet government denies the existence of this phenomenon," Kavihuha said.
The time was now ripe for civil servants to demand salary hikes from government, he added.
Too far removed
"The conclusion that can be drawn from the attitude government has adopted is that they are too far removed from daily realities on the ground and they need to be brought down to see,” Kavihuha said.
"Trade unions and all the progressive civil society organisations should stand together and do the right thing, fight for decent wages for civil servants who bear the brunt of shouldering the financial burden of the 1.6 million poverty-stricken Namibians," he said.
He further called on government to speed up the process of paying out tax returns to civil servants, saying it would help struggling households.
"Now that the economy is worse and salaries have stagnated more than any time in independent Namibia, tax returns will even be more useful supplements to the already meagre income of members.”
WINDHOEK
The Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) says government should be wary of its actions over the next three months, and that there could be dire consequences should the salaries of civil servants not be hiked after the tabling of the national budget.
Its secretary-general Mahongora Kavihuha said teachers' salaries had not been hiked over seven fiscal years, saying the situation had raised concerns within the union.
"Civil servants have gone for over seven years now without salary adjustments and the standard of living in the country has literally gone through the roof or down the drain, whichever is worse," he said.
He cited a report saying 1.6 million Namibians were living in poverty, adding that it was clear that people were scrounging for food.
"You have heard it being said that 1.6 million Namibians are living in abject poverty and you and myself see this on a daily basis. Who does not see how our people have been reduced to scrounging for food and other sources of livelihoods from the dustbins on the streets of this once magnificent city [Windhoek]? Yet government denies the existence of this phenomenon," Kavihuha said.
The time was now ripe for civil servants to demand salary hikes from government, he added.
Too far removed
"The conclusion that can be drawn from the attitude government has adopted is that they are too far removed from daily realities on the ground and they need to be brought down to see,” Kavihuha said.
"Trade unions and all the progressive civil society organisations should stand together and do the right thing, fight for decent wages for civil servants who bear the brunt of shouldering the financial burden of the 1.6 million poverty-stricken Namibians," he said.
He further called on government to speed up the process of paying out tax returns to civil servants, saying it would help struggling households.
"Now that the economy is worse and salaries have stagnated more than any time in independent Namibia, tax returns will even be more useful supplements to the already meagre income of members.”
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