MANWU concerned about workers’ rights in mass housing project

The Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union has expressed serious concerns about the implementation of the national mass housing project, especially related to labour rights. According to MANWU General Secretary Justina Jonas an investigation done at some of the housing projects revealed that workers are being paid less than the minimum wage in the industry. She said workers are not issued with protective gear and safety is compromised in these projects. “We also took note of precarious work that workers have to endure. Namibia is a signatory to ILO conventions, and promoting decent jobs for securing job security is part of Namibia’s commitment. We are concerned that one of the aims of the mass housing project was to create jobs for the masses of unemployed people in the country, but the creation of jobs currently does not guarantee decent jobs and decent wages.” Jonas said even though the union had requested a meeting with relevant stakeholders to air their concerns, they are still waiting for a response. The union has serious concerns about the implementation of this housing project, she said, and added that compromising workers’ rights means compromising people’s plea to earn a decent wage and get decent jobs. The union called on the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) and the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to ensure that workers’ rights are respected during the implementation of the project. “Workers do not want precarious work as is the case right now. These workers, mostly women and young people, deserve better and we will not tolerate that their rights are compromised so that certain individuals can make money at their expense.” Jonas further said it could be good that the project has one contractor who can employ more people at the same time and create decent jobs and pay decent wages. According to her there must be a proper monitoring and evaluation process that is transparent for all stakeholders in these projects.