Staff Reporter
Windhoek-The management of Elgin Brown & Hamer Namibia (EBHN) has confirmed that the company has entered into a further round of restructuring whereby voluntary retrenchment options will be offered to all employees in order to keep compulsory retrenchments to a minimum.
Staff at EBHN, which is an established ship repair company that operates three privately-owned floating docks in Walvis Bay, were initially briefed about the possibility of further restructuring late last year. Midway through 2016 the company retrenched 102 employees of whom 82 opted for voluntary retrenchment, while 20 were retrenched with no option.
Formal notification was issued to the Office of the Labour Commissioner, the recognised union, the Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction (MMMC) union, and non-bargaining unit on January 22. Negotiations with the union commenced on January 23. EBHN says it is working closely with the union, the EBH Namibia Workers Representative Committee (WRC) and the Office of the Labour Commissioner in the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation.
Since the announcement of the original EBHN stabilisation plan in April 2016, prompted by depressed oil prices and the knock-on effect on the offshore support and ship repair sector, the company had undertaken a process of continuous evaluation of all possible steps to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of the business.
Despite these measures, EBHN notes that continuing economic pressures have required the company to further address its employment dispensation, in order to ensure continued viability going forward.
“EBHN remains committed to following due process by complying with all legislative requirements and ensuring that the restructuring is conducted with a high level of professionalism, sensitivity and fairness,” says Heritha Nankole Muyoba, acting CEO of EBHN.
“Going forward, we will retain our unwavering focus on quality and safety, with an absolute commitment to delivering exceptional value-adding solutions to our clients,” Muyoba adds.