‘Outsourcing’ exploits Namibian workers

Outsourcing is where companies (especially mining companies) give out contracts allowing a portion of their operations to be run on its behalf by private contractors. In most cases, workers from departments that are to be outsourced face retrenchment before being handed over to the private contractor. These workers then become contract workers (on a labour contract system), recruited on a temporary basis (usually six months to one year). These workers will have no medical aid, no pension benefits and may never become permanent employees in their lives, which makes it very difficult for them, if not impossible, to access financial assistance from financial institutions whenever they want to purchase houses or vehicles. All this is done under the pretext of Black Economic Empowerment, because that portion of operations is outsourced to a contract company belonging to one or two businesspeople, who pay workers peanuts while these elites pocket everything for themselves and their children. For example, in 2011 Namdeb started outsourcing its mining department to a private company called B&E. We, the union, Namdeb branch, objected to such a move because we knew that workers would be subjected to unfavourable working conditions and exploitation. We even reported such inhumane practice to the Ministry of Labour, but the management went ahead with impunity and outsourced the department to B&E. Most of the workers previously employed by Namdeb in fact lost their decent jobs, lost all their benefits like medical aid and pension, and became contract workers, temporarily employed on three- to six-month contracts. These people have no job security and they are subjected to all types of labour exploitation and harassment, job insecurity, and labour ill-treatment. What pains us most is that there are a number of these B&E employees who, upon reporting for duty last week, found out that they were being refused entry into the mine, and upon enquiry, were told that their employment had been terminated with immediate effect. Up to now, they are unemployed and are literally fired. Now, how does one sacrifice the livelihood and wellbeing of more than 400 young Namibians and empower only one or two people, all under the banner of black economic empowerment? How can a mining company, whose core business is to mine, outsource such a very crucial department to a private company? Namdeb’s mining department is among its biggest departments, employing a large number of employees, compared to other departments. Outsourcing it simply means hundreds of Namibians are sent into a contract labour system, a system that our forefathers fought against. How do we tolerate such a system in an independent Namibia? We, the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) are against such evil and colonial practices against our people, therefore we request Namdeb management to ensure that contractors operating within its mining licence respect the labour laws of this country, and B&E should re-employ those workers with immediate effect. Failure to that, we as Namdeb employees will withdraw our labour in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are subjected to this labour contract system under the pretext of BEE, at the expense of the Namibian majority. We also appeal to President Hifikepunye Pohamba, who fought against the contract labour system in the 1950s, and incoming President Hage Geingob, to ensure that all companies extracting natural resources within the boundaries of Namibia provide decent and permanent employment to Namibians for them to be able to live a decent life. The Namibian liberation struggle started as a result of the contract labour system, therefore we cannot sit idle and watch our fellow young countrymen and women being exploited and subjected to the very same labour contract system under the pretext of BEE. The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) supports genuine economic empowerment, but not where it works to the detriment of the majority. *Shavuka Mbidhi is the current Chairperson of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) Namdeb Branch in Oranjemund. WINDHOEK SHAVUKA MBIDHI