WINDHOEK – National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) secretary general Job Muniaro has hit out at “unrealistic” minimum wage demand by Household Employees of Namibia (UIHENI), a newly formed union.
Muniaro was reacting to a demand by UIHENI last week of N$3 500 as minimum wage for domestic workers per month. “The union’s current wage demand is unaffordable and unrealistic,” said Muniaro in an interview with New Era last week.
He said that it is of great concern to the NUNW that employees are getting promises that cannot be delivered upon from UIHENI. “This is an unrealistic demand and can destabilise a country if not handled with care,” said the unionist.
“Workers themselves should understand the issue in its entirety before coming to a decision,” he added.
He said the demands will not only hurt the employers but will be to the detriment of employees and their families, to communities, and to the country as a whole.
Government on December 24 last year gazetted domestic workers’ minimum wage of N$1 218 per month (N$56.21 per day or N$281.09 per week) on April 1, 2015. This means come Wednesday this week, a domestic worker will earn a minimum of N$1 218 per month.
Furthermore, according to the new law, domestic workers will be paid N$10.53 per hour for overtime, and N$14.04 per hour for working on Sundays and during public holidays.
However, UIHENI, representing the workers, is demanding N$3 500 minimum wage. Muniaro described the demand as unrealistic, saying, “There is no way in this country that anyone can afford to pay domestic workers a basic salary of N$3 500.”
Muniaro explained that in many cases domestic workers’ transport fees are paid by employers and this can accumulate to N$500 per month. He added that apart from employers paying transport fares for workers, the workers also spend the whole day at the employers’ properties and this means that employers provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for workers and this can cost a lot of money when calculated on a monthly basis.
Muniaro warned that unrealistic demands may lead to unnecessarily strikes and strikes can easily destabilise the peace and stability the country has been enjoying for the past 25 years.