Query: I am a security guard who has worked for almost a year now and I want to know if it is true that our salaries were supposed to rise from N$5.30 to N$6.75 per hour as from August 1, 2015? If that is true, why are most of us still on the old rate?
Response: The Government Gazette on Collective Agreement for Security Industry as agreed in December 2014 indicates that: (1) The minimum wage is automatically adjusted from N$5.30 per hour to N$6.75 per hour effective from August 1, 2015. (2) An automatic adjustment from N$6.75 to N$7 per hour must be in effect from August 1, 2015.
This simply indicates that if your salary was N$5.30 per hour in 2014, then your new rate, as at August 1, 2015, should be N$6.75 per hour. Whereas, if your rate per hour was N$6.75 in 2014, then it should automatically be adjusted to N$7 per hour from August 1, 2015.
The collective agreement was entered into by and between the Security Association of Namibia, Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union, Namibia Security Guards and Watchmen’s Union, Namibia Independent Security Union and the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation (representing the government).
We would like to encourage workers to forward their queries to our SMS line 66111 for direct advice and where necessary, investigation.
Maria N. Hedimbi, Chief Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Email Address: mhedimbi@mol.gov.na