Sheelongo fights for Air Nam job
The former chief operating officer (COO) of Air Namibia, Jonas Sheelongo, is fighting to stay on at the airline after it decided to terminate his contract.
Air Namibia's acting managing director Mandi Samson on 3 August gave Sheelongo three months' notice that his contract would not be renewed. His last day of work at Air Namibia was Friday, 3 November. Sheelongo says he has lodged a complaint with the Labour Commissioner. A date for hearing the complaint is still to be set.
His legal representatives, Clement Daniels Attorneys, on 10 August 2017 wrote a letter to Air Namibia's board chairperson, Gerson Tjihenuna, which stated that the termination of the contract was “irrational, arbitrary and bad in law”.
Daniels wrote that the findings of an internal hearing that took place on 1 August at which Sheelongo insisted that he was to be reinstated as general manager: technical & operations, “meritless, contradictory, unreasonable and arbitrary” because they ignored or failed to take into consideration evidence provided to the hearing.
According to the report, Sheelongo had accepted an offer of employment as the COO on 8 October 2015.
Air Namibia announced his appointment as the new COO in November 2015 and he was to begin working in that position on 5 November 2015.
However, Daniels said in his letter to Tjihenuna that the terms and conditions for the position of the COO were never finalised between the parties, arguing that the parties eventually failed to reach an agreement on the terms of reinstatement over the matter of the job description, reporting lines and package.
Daniels maintained that no employment contract in respect to the COO position could have come into existence because those conditions had not been fulfilled.
He further maintained that there was no signed agreement between Air Namibia and Sheelongo regarding the position of COO, adding that non-renewal of such a contract was therefore “fictitious” and “null and void”.
Sheelongo, as GM: technical & operational, was suspended in December 2013 and reinstated a year later by a ruling of the Labour Commission.
According to this ruling he was to be reinstated in the position of GM when he returned on 12 December 2014.
Daniels argued that said Air Namibia had, therefore, refused to restore Sheelongo in his former position.
Daniels said the only contract in existence between Air Namibia and Sheelongo was the one signed in August 2011, when he was employed as general manager.
This contract expired at the end of July 2016, but Daniels said it was tacitly renewed by both parties until June 2012.
Air Namibia did not respond to questions by the time of going to press.
CATHERINE SASMAN
Air Namibia's acting managing director Mandi Samson on 3 August gave Sheelongo three months' notice that his contract would not be renewed. His last day of work at Air Namibia was Friday, 3 November. Sheelongo says he has lodged a complaint with the Labour Commissioner. A date for hearing the complaint is still to be set.
His legal representatives, Clement Daniels Attorneys, on 10 August 2017 wrote a letter to Air Namibia's board chairperson, Gerson Tjihenuna, which stated that the termination of the contract was “irrational, arbitrary and bad in law”.
Daniels wrote that the findings of an internal hearing that took place on 1 August at which Sheelongo insisted that he was to be reinstated as general manager: technical & operations, “meritless, contradictory, unreasonable and arbitrary” because they ignored or failed to take into consideration evidence provided to the hearing.
According to the report, Sheelongo had accepted an offer of employment as the COO on 8 October 2015.
Air Namibia announced his appointment as the new COO in November 2015 and he was to begin working in that position on 5 November 2015.
However, Daniels said in his letter to Tjihenuna that the terms and conditions for the position of the COO were never finalised between the parties, arguing that the parties eventually failed to reach an agreement on the terms of reinstatement over the matter of the job description, reporting lines and package.
Daniels maintained that no employment contract in respect to the COO position could have come into existence because those conditions had not been fulfilled.
He further maintained that there was no signed agreement between Air Namibia and Sheelongo regarding the position of COO, adding that non-renewal of such a contract was therefore “fictitious” and “null and void”.
Sheelongo, as GM: technical & operational, was suspended in December 2013 and reinstated a year later by a ruling of the Labour Commission.
According to this ruling he was to be reinstated in the position of GM when he returned on 12 December 2014.
Daniels argued that said Air Namibia had, therefore, refused to restore Sheelongo in his former position.
Daniels said the only contract in existence between Air Namibia and Sheelongo was the one signed in August 2011, when he was employed as general manager.
This contract expired at the end of July 2016, but Daniels said it was tacitly renewed by both parties until June 2012.
Air Namibia did not respond to questions by the time of going to press.
CATHERINE SASMAN
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article