WINDHOEK – The Namibia Fuel and Allied Workers Union (NAFAWU), which is the union claiming to represent up to 70 percent of fuel station attendants, has called off a strike scheduled for this week.
NAFAWU has however given the Association of Service Station Owners (ASSO) the okay to kick-start the process of negotiating for a minimum wage for its members. “We have reached an agreement that we should submit an audited and/or verified list of our membership data from all over the country, which we will be submitting to ASSO within the course of this week,” said Frans David, secretary general of NAFAWU.
ASSO president, Rupert Harmse, last week said he asked the union to provide proof it represents at least 50 percent of fuel station attendants in the country. Addressing the issue yesterday, Frans noted that NAFAWU represents about 70 percent of industry workers, about 1 400 attendants, throughout Namibia. Said David: “As soon as the above (verification of representation) has been done, we will give ASSO 14 days within which we should convene the first meeting to work out all protocols thus kick-starting the process.”
In a letter to the union, dated September 26, 2013, Harmse said: “As we are sure NAFAWU agrees, negotiations on issues such as minimum wages and employment conditions must follow the processes stipulated in the Labour Act. Should we disregard the same, risks are created that no valid agreements would be reached. We therefore seriously urge NAFAWU to follow these procedures commencing with submitting proof that NAFAWU represents the majority of employees in the (fuel) retail industry. ”
Responding to NAFAWU’s communication with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the ministry’s permanent secretary George Simaata recently told NAFAWU: “While the ministry is committed to improving and protecting the working conditions of all employees in all sectors, particularly vulnerable workers, setting minimum wages takes two forms. Firstly, parties are encouraged through a collective bargaining process to agree on a minimum wage and once agreed it will enjoy the full legal effect contemplated in sections 70 and 71 of the Labour Act (No 11 of 2007). Secondly, as a registered trade union you may request the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, in writing, to constitute a wage commission for this purpose as provided for in Chapter 9 Part C, particularly section 105 (2) of the Labour Act (11 of 2007).”
In the absence of a minimum wage in the industry, NAFAWU wants fuel station attendants to earn a minimum N$4 500 per month for an eight-hour shift.
Frans mentioned that some fuel station attendants’ wages range from as little as N$300 per month to N$2 000 a month while some service station owners base monthly salaries on the amount of litres of fuel dispensed during duty.
The union is also calling for improved health and safety conditions at work, claiming that the constant exposure to hazardous fumes has resulted in the death of at least 11 fuel station attendants during the last five years.
By Edgar Brandt