Health ministry workers beg for jobs
Worked for the ministry ‘for free’
The workers are seeking permanent employment in the positions they held before.
Yesterday, 33 workers gathered in front of the Office of the Labour Commissioner for an arbitration meeting as they have been jobless since December 2022.
The workers – mostly porters and cleaners – had been employed by the health ministry since 2017 and during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, but saw their contracts terminated at the end of July 2022.
Their contracts were renewed towards the end of November, but were subsequently terminated again.
They are now seeking permanent employment in the positions they held before.
Public Servants Union of Namibia (PSUN) representative Reginald Kock yesterday told Namibian Sun that several vacancies have been advertised for the positions the 33 workers held, but none who applied were invited for an interview.
"These people were working for the ministry for free for all that time [since 2017].
“Thereafter, in 2020, they were given short-term (three- to six-month) contracts. In 2022, they were given two-week notice of the termination of their contracts," Kock said.
‘Corrupt’ appointments
He added that while subsequent vacancies for porters and cleaners were designated for the volunteers, none of them have been employed. He further accused the ministry of ‘corruptly’ employing people outside the group.
After the initial termination of contracts in July 2022, the workers - alongside the union - protested and delivered a petition to executive director Ben Nangombe.
After receiving the petition, he stated in a letter that the decision to renew the workers' contracts was not due the petition, but rather because of the 'good conscience' of the ministry.
"The contracts were until December, depending on the trajectory [of the Covid-19 pandemic] and after reconsideration by the ministry, it was found that they needed to work until December."
At the time, he said the ministry felt "it would be the right thing to do" to let the workers continue until December, although it no longer regarded Covid-19 as a threat.
Postponement
Kock revealed that during yesterday's arbitration meeting, the ministry requested a postponement, but the union refused.
"This is how the ministry wants to get rid of the case. We rejected [the request] and informed the arbitrator that if that was the position of the ministry, the arbitrator should make a default judgment.
“In February this year, the ministry asked for a postponement which we agreed to [at the time]," he said.
The workers – mostly porters and cleaners – had been employed by the health ministry since 2017 and during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, but saw their contracts terminated at the end of July 2022.
Their contracts were renewed towards the end of November, but were subsequently terminated again.
They are now seeking permanent employment in the positions they held before.
Public Servants Union of Namibia (PSUN) representative Reginald Kock yesterday told Namibian Sun that several vacancies have been advertised for the positions the 33 workers held, but none who applied were invited for an interview.
"These people were working for the ministry for free for all that time [since 2017].
“Thereafter, in 2020, they were given short-term (three- to six-month) contracts. In 2022, they were given two-week notice of the termination of their contracts," Kock said.
‘Corrupt’ appointments
He added that while subsequent vacancies for porters and cleaners were designated for the volunteers, none of them have been employed. He further accused the ministry of ‘corruptly’ employing people outside the group.
After the initial termination of contracts in July 2022, the workers - alongside the union - protested and delivered a petition to executive director Ben Nangombe.
After receiving the petition, he stated in a letter that the decision to renew the workers' contracts was not due the petition, but rather because of the 'good conscience' of the ministry.
"The contracts were until December, depending on the trajectory [of the Covid-19 pandemic] and after reconsideration by the ministry, it was found that they needed to work until December."
At the time, he said the ministry felt "it would be the right thing to do" to let the workers continue until December, although it no longer regarded Covid-19 as a threat.
Postponement
Kock revealed that during yesterday's arbitration meeting, the ministry requested a postponement, but the union refused.
"This is how the ministry wants to get rid of the case. We rejected [the request] and informed the arbitrator that if that was the position of the ministry, the arbitrator should make a default judgment.
“In February this year, the ministry asked for a postponement which we agreed to [at the time]," he said.
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