Paheja Siririka
The Namibian Media Professionals Union’s activities have been restricted, as their application with the labour commissioner has been dragging, with the dissatisfied group calling it a ‘sabotage’ on the part of the line ministry.
Local media professionals launched the union on 20 November 2020 with the sole purpose of organising and uniting journalists and media workers from print, broadcasting and online media to allow for better bargaining and improved working conditions.
Nampu’s secretary general Sakeus Ikela told New Era the union needs official recognition to operate in newsrooms and at workplaces to avoid being sued when holding media organisations accountable for possible mistreatment of their members.
“The consequences are that without the official recognition, we cannot enter into official collective agreements with employers and legally address issues that are facing journalists in the newsrooms, and we won’t be able to represent our members in court,” he said.
Ikela added that the union is concerned that the issue is dragging – almost three years without them getting official communication to allow them to operate and represent members.
Journalists from various media houses gathered at the UN Plaza in Katutura to observe the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November.
The group further deliberated on issues affecting them, including mental health, unfair pay, unconducive working conditions and the idle pace of the labour ministry in approving their application for recognition.
“Impunity thrives where there is no protection of journalists. We can’t shy away from the fact that journalists are under constant threat and there is no recourse because there is no union,” said the deputy secretary general of the union Jemima Beukes.
Labour commissioner Henri Kassen told New Era an application for registration of a trade union is not a guarantee that it will be approved.
“There are specific criteria in the Labour Act that must be complied with. Only after such compliance can approval be given. The union applied for registration and must meet specific criteria under sections 53 and 57 of the Labour Act, 2007. Meeting the criteria is pending,” he said.
He added in terms of section 57 of the Act, workers must form a trade union and adopt a constitution that is certified and submitted three-fold for registration.
The constitution is reviewed against the requirements of the act. If the constitution does not comply, it is referred back for corrections – and if the constitution complies, the trade union is then registered.
“The constitution of the union (Nampu) was studied, compared with the legal requirements, referred back for corrections, re-studied and corrections reviewed and needs to be finally scrutinised by the labour commissioner for compliance,” shared Kassen.
– psiririka@nepc.com.na