PSUN eager to address NBC workers’ plight
The Public Service Union of Namibia’s Pauli Sitentu promised to hold NBC accountable for withholding pay from employees who participated in an almost month-long strike in May on a ‘no work, no pay’ premise.
05 October 2021 | Labour
OGONE TLHAGE
WINDHOEK
The Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN) is eager to address the plight of NBC employees with unfavourable working conditions, its secretary-general Pauli Sitentu said.
This comes as the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) recently lost its exclusive bargaining unit status at the corporation, as PSUN continues to make inroads into its membership.
Sitentu drew attention to employment contracts staff members - who were not on employed on a full-time basis - had received and said the NBC would be held to account going forward.
Unfavourable
“There are some employees who were on contract, they were offered already unfavourable conditions and as a trade union that is responsible for employees, we are supposed to ensure that these contracts are scrutinised properly before they are given,” Sitentu said.
“You cannot give a contract and say ‘you are a permanent employee’ and then the contract does not have benefits,” he added, referring to contract workers who had recently been appointed on a full-time basis with the corporation.
“You cannot give an employee a contract before you are permanently employed but you do not have benefits.”
Fix it
Contracts handed out had not been favourable, Sitentu claimed.
“We have managed to peruse through the documents and we have seen that there are malpractices that have gone on and as the PSUN, we are taking it up. Why are you giving employee A benefits but not employee B?” he asked.
Sitentu also promised to hold the corporation accountable for withholding pay from striking employees.
NBC employees had entered an almost month-long strike in May on a ‘no work, no pay’ premise.
“Deductions must be regulated, not stopped, we are going to ensure NBC is held accountable for deductions. We are going to serve them appropriately,” he said.
Meanwhile, NBC workers union representative committee chairperson Johannes Lengi said verification was still underway to establish whether Napwu had lost its bargaining status at the corporation.
“This needs to be verified. I don’t have a document to say PSUN has this much membership.”
WINDHOEK
The Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN) is eager to address the plight of NBC employees with unfavourable working conditions, its secretary-general Pauli Sitentu said.
This comes as the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) recently lost its exclusive bargaining unit status at the corporation, as PSUN continues to make inroads into its membership.
Sitentu drew attention to employment contracts staff members - who were not on employed on a full-time basis - had received and said the NBC would be held to account going forward.
Unfavourable
“There are some employees who were on contract, they were offered already unfavourable conditions and as a trade union that is responsible for employees, we are supposed to ensure that these contracts are scrutinised properly before they are given,” Sitentu said.
“You cannot give a contract and say ‘you are a permanent employee’ and then the contract does not have benefits,” he added, referring to contract workers who had recently been appointed on a full-time basis with the corporation.
“You cannot give an employee a contract before you are permanently employed but you do not have benefits.”
Fix it
Contracts handed out had not been favourable, Sitentu claimed.
“We have managed to peruse through the documents and we have seen that there are malpractices that have gone on and as the PSUN, we are taking it up. Why are you giving employee A benefits but not employee B?” he asked.
Sitentu also promised to hold the corporation accountable for withholding pay from striking employees.
NBC employees had entered an almost month-long strike in May on a ‘no work, no pay’ premise.
“Deductions must be regulated, not stopped, we are going to ensure NBC is held accountable for deductions. We are going to serve them appropriately,” he said.
Meanwhile, NBC workers union representative committee chairperson Johannes Lengi said verification was still underway to establish whether Napwu had lost its bargaining status at the corporation.
“This needs to be verified. I don’t have a document to say PSUN has this much membership.”
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