Workers urged to debate Swapo-aligned unions

One of Namibia’s top labour experts says workers must be given the chance to choose whether the unions that represent them should remain affiliated to the ruling party. Herbert Jauch was commenting on labour issues on the eve of Workers’ Day tomorrow and said that the question of unions being affiliated to ruling parties is a debate that should take place in Namibia, as well as in many other countries. “Unions deal with bread-and-butter issues at the workplace, but also have a role to play in promoting workers’ interests in broader society. “This means that they have to tackle issues like the housing crisis, which affects workers very badly. The question of working or linking with political parties is a strategic question and workers need to decide if such linkages serve their interests.” Namibia's largest umbrella grouping of unions - the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) - is affiliated to Swapo and some of its leaders have been co-opted into government on a ruling party ticket. These include former trade unionists such as Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Alpheus Muheua, Deputy Minister of Defence Petrus Iilonga, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Bernard Esau, Deputy Prime Minister Marco Hausiku and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Tjekero Tweya. This political link has led to debates both within and outside the federation. While the majority of NUNW affiliates argue that a continued affiliation would help the federation to influence policies, critics have pointed out that the affiliation undermines the independence of the labour movement and could wipe out prospects for trade union unity in Namibia. Former NUNW Secretary-General Evilastus Kaaronda yesterday said that unions should not be affiliated to political parties. According to him it is best for a union to stand alone. “The moment when unions start confusing workers’ issues and politics, we are left with the situation that we have had for the past 20 years.” He stressed that there is no reason for a trade union to be affiliated to a political party and said that the only reason for this is to advance personal interests. “Workers’ issues should be differentiated from political parties. This is only done to control workers and suppress them, and it is not done in the best interest of the workers.” Kaaronda said some unions have neglected to protect the workers while focusing on political advancement and convenience. Meanwhile, Jauch said that there are about 35 registered trade unions in the country and many of them compete with each other. “As a result many of those unions are weak and cannot effectively represent workers.” According to Jauch it might be better for these unions to look at mergers to have fewer but stronger unions. However, this is not easy to achieve due to the rivalries and differences of political views between unions, he added. According to him some unions have started taking the principle of workers’ control seriously again and are therefore able to represent workers’ interests. “Other unions are unfortunately dominated by individual leaders or are characterised by weak structures, which prevents them from representing workers effectively,” said Kaaronda, who now heads the Namibian National Labour Organisation (NANLO), which is not affiliated to any political party. Kaaronda disagreed with Jauch’s assertion that the large number of unions competing for members is making unions weak. He said statistics show that 60% of the Namibian population does not belong to unions and only about 25 000 of the 90 000 government employees belong to unions. According to Kaaronda, reasonable attempts have been made by the government to create a legislative environment for workers’ rights in Namibia. “More often than not the rights of workers are being ignored. The rights are there generally speaking. Workers can stand up and say that they were unfairly treated. The challenge is how these rights are brought to life.” Jauch added that on paper workers’ rights have improved since independence, especially since the introduction of the Labour Act in 1992 and then the new Act of 2007 as well as the Labour Amendment Act of 2012. “However, having rights on paper is not the same as having them in practice.”According to him many workers are vulnerable, especially those with lower levels of skills, and some employers use that to abuse their power. Deputy Minister Muheua said some workers are not aware of their rights, which lead to employers trampling on their rights. He stressed that raising awareness of workers’ rights is very important and if their rights are violated workers should report it to the ministry. “A vast improvement has taken place in the rights of workers since independence. We may not be on the level we want it to be, but we have made progress,” he said. WINDHOEK STAFF REPORTER