Hungry Lion, staff resolve wage dispute

The Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) has announced the successful resolution of a wage dispute with Hungry Lion following months of negotiations that kicked off last year.

According to Absalom Willem, deputy general secretary of Nafau, the dispute of interest was referred to the Office of the Labour Commissioner in November 2025 after wage negotiations between the union and the company reached a deadlock.

Nafau, the recognised bargaining agent representing Hungry Lion staff, began negotiations with management in June last year. However, the parties were unable to reach agreement on wages and conditions of employment.

A conciliation meeting was subsequently held on 22 January at the Office of the Labour Commissioner.

When no agreement was reached, the conciliator issued a certificate of unresolved dispute.

Two days before a planned strike was due to begin, staff and management returned to the negotiating table.

After further discussions, the union and the company reached a settlement and signed a memorandum of agreement in Windhoek.

New wages and benefits

The agreement covers a two-year period and includes several benefits for employees.

For the first year, effective from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, employees within the bargaining unit will receive an across-the-board salary increase of N$375.

The increase will be backdated to 1 July 2025 and apply until 28 February 2026.

In addition, the transport allowance will increase to N$624 per month, in line with standard taxi rates set by the Namibia Bus and Taxi Association. This adjustment will be backdated to 1 March.

The agreement also provides that all temporary and fixed-term employees who have completed one year of service will be appointed to full-time permanent positions from the date the agreement was signed.

For the second year, effective from 1 July to 30 June 2027, employees will receive a further salary increase of N$400. Of this amount, N$200 will be allocated as a housing allowance, introducing a housing benefit that did not previously exist.

In total, employees will receive an increase of N$775 over the two-year agreement period.

Handshake

The union expressed appreciation to both the union and company negotiating teams for their commitment to resolving the dispute without disrupting business operations or adversely affecting employees.

Despite the challenging negotiations, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a constructive working relationship in the interests of both the company and its workers.

Hungry Lion manager Winston Cupid said he looked forward to continued cooperation with the union.

Shop stewards representing Hungry Lion employees also welcomed the deal.

While noting that the final amount was not exactly what had initially been requested, they said they were pleased to see progress and satisfied that both sides had met halfway.

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