Walvis Bay
The integrity of a Swakopmund-based labour inspector in the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation is being questioned after a file submitted mysteriously disappeared, or was misplaced.The file was an application for dispute resolution regarding the Recognition and Procedural Agreement between the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) and Langer Heinrich mine.
The documents were apparently submitted to the Ministry of Labour’s offices in Swakopmund on October 14, 2015 and a date, December 17, was set for the hearing.According to a statement issued on Monday by MUN branch chairperson Michael Muaha, the hearing for the dispute resolution was scheduled to take place at the Swakopmund Office with arbitrator, Ono Angula.
“Upon arrival at the offices, the labour inspector could not find the documentation with regards to our application, which was submitted 30 days prior the scheduled conciliation date. He even claimed that it was the first time that he heard such an application was submitted. How did we even get a date for conciliation, if we did not submit an application?” Muaha wanted to know.
According to the unionist, after some hours the inspector allegedly came to the committee and suggested he help them act as a mediator (informally) to try and help them reach an agreement with the mine.
“However through the whole processes we observed that he had a very biased approach. He never corrected or advised the management of the mine to change their views, but constantly did that with us,” said Muaha.
He says an agreement was eventually reached, but the final agreement could not be typed up at the ministry. It was given to the management of the mine to do. Just before signing the document the committee noticed that a certain clause had been changed without discussion or the permission of the workers’ committee.
“We corrected the management and even pointed out that the clause was changed. However, both the labour inspector and the management ridiculed us. We are now requesting the labour commissioner to get his house in order and schedule a formal process, as it is unacceptable for a labour office to lose or misplace submitted applications,” Muaha said.
New Era tried to reach Angula yesterday and was told that he is still on leave. Officials at the labour ministry also refused to provide his private number as they do not have the authority to do so.