Otniel Hembapu
Windhoek-The Namibia Football Players Union (Nafpu) and other sister unions affiliated to the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna) have joined forces with South Africa’s internationally-acclaimed University of the Witwatersrand in a partnership that will place special emphasis on the rights and well-being of Namibian workers.
The partnership between Tucna and the University of the Witwatersrand (also known as Wits) will see the various members of the unions, including Nafpu, participate in a two-day workshop that will research and focus on the well-being of Namibian workers, especially those working in unorganised set-ups and denied basic representation.
Wits’ Warren McGregor will be spearheading the workshop and sharing vital labour research tools and knowledge in the areas of workers’ representation, as well as making sure the existing relationship between Tucna and the university is strengthened.
McGregor, who is highly specialized in the areas of economic sociology, economic history and labour relations, said their research will not only focus on workers in unorganised industries but will also provide a clear roadmap on how such workers can be uplifted, empowered and accorded a platform where their rights as workers will be protected.
In a football context, Nafpu’s president Lolo Goraseb welcomed the new partnership and said they were ready to make sure that whatever fresh ideas, policies and strategies are discussed during the workshop also benefit local footballers, many of whom ply their trade on shoddy and vague contracts.
Goraseb said it was important for the union to align itself properly and carry out its activities in collaboration with highly respected institutions that have the required human and technical capacity to assist and address the various issues affecting Namibian workers in all spheres.