Govt must protect RCC jobs
National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) secretary-general Job Muniaro says any planned winding up of the Roads Contractor Company is warranted, as long as the public entity is not fulfilling the purpose it was created for.
He was, however, quick to add that there is a need for urgent government action to protect threatened jobs.
“The RCC was created for a purpose but if that purpose is not there any longer then it must be liquidated.
It was not created just for job creation but for road construction purposes,” said Muniaro.
He also said the liquidation, if it were to go ahead, would ultimately be unfair to the employees of the RCC and would further exacerbate poverty and unemployment.
“Workers are the culprits when decisions are made to close businesses.
The workers are just not losing their valuables.
There are always consequences, there is also an issue of poverty and unemployment,” Muniaro.
He called on the government to plan properly to lessen the effects on the economy.
“We need to reorganise ourselves to protect jobs,” added Muniaro when contacted for comment yesterday.
He had previously voiced his opposition to planned layoffs at public entities, which included the RCC.
According to the minister of public enterprises, Leon Jooste, no decision on the future of the beleaguered RCC has been made.
“It is not D-Day yet,” Jooste said in response to a news article which suggested that a cabinet committee would decide last Wednesday whether to recapitalise or liquidate the parastatal.
“Very little that I can share on this item,” Jooste said when asked about the cabinet discussions. It was reported that the cabinet committee on treasury, which is deliberating on the RCC matter, could not reach consensus.
It was stated that while Jooste propagated the closure of the RCC, the minister of works and transport, Alpheus !Naruseb, vehemently rejected this option.
The RCC has sought a N$300 million bailout from the government. Jooste argues that it would take more than N$1 billion to rescue the parastatal.
While the verdict is still not out on this matter, talk inside the RCC is that the RCC might be restructured “fit for purpose” or that it might be merged with other state-owned enterprises. A remodelled RCC would, according to these rumours, include the mandate to build and maintain roads – as is the current mandate – but then to “streamline” it to “make commercial sense and be competitive in the industry”.
Rumours of the suggested closure of the RCC are reportedly “not so strong”. Whatever the future of the RCC is, insiders say the more than 400 employees at the parastatal are in a panic over possible job losses.
OGONE TLHAGE
He was, however, quick to add that there is a need for urgent government action to protect threatened jobs.
“The RCC was created for a purpose but if that purpose is not there any longer then it must be liquidated.
It was not created just for job creation but for road construction purposes,” said Muniaro.
He also said the liquidation, if it were to go ahead, would ultimately be unfair to the employees of the RCC and would further exacerbate poverty and unemployment.
“Workers are the culprits when decisions are made to close businesses.
The workers are just not losing their valuables.
There are always consequences, there is also an issue of poverty and unemployment,” Muniaro.
He called on the government to plan properly to lessen the effects on the economy.
“We need to reorganise ourselves to protect jobs,” added Muniaro when contacted for comment yesterday.
He had previously voiced his opposition to planned layoffs at public entities, which included the RCC.
According to the minister of public enterprises, Leon Jooste, no decision on the future of the beleaguered RCC has been made.
“It is not D-Day yet,” Jooste said in response to a news article which suggested that a cabinet committee would decide last Wednesday whether to recapitalise or liquidate the parastatal.
“Very little that I can share on this item,” Jooste said when asked about the cabinet discussions. It was reported that the cabinet committee on treasury, which is deliberating on the RCC matter, could not reach consensus.
It was stated that while Jooste propagated the closure of the RCC, the minister of works and transport, Alpheus !Naruseb, vehemently rejected this option.
The RCC has sought a N$300 million bailout from the government. Jooste argues that it would take more than N$1 billion to rescue the parastatal.
While the verdict is still not out on this matter, talk inside the RCC is that the RCC might be restructured “fit for purpose” or that it might be merged with other state-owned enterprises. A remodelled RCC would, according to these rumours, include the mandate to build and maintain roads – as is the current mandate – but then to “streamline” it to “make commercial sense and be competitive in the industry”.
Rumours of the suggested closure of the RCC are reportedly “not so strong”. Whatever the future of the RCC is, insiders say the more than 400 employees at the parastatal are in a panic over possible job losses.
OGONE TLHAGE
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