WINDHOEK – Some parliamentary staff have expressed unhappiness over the alleged lack of communication, and nepotism and favouritism.
Morale among staff at parliament is so low employees are apparently “always moody”.
Staff blamed the lack of communication between those within the upper echelons of parliament and those at the lower rungs on the lack of staff meetings or information sharing platforms.
New Era was informed no staff meetings have been held for almost half a decade.
Parliamentary staff also claim they are not consulted but only ordered to do things without any explanation whatsoever while others claim that some people – especially those close to the Speaker and to the Secretary of the National Assembly – are favoured when it comes to travelling abroad on foreign missions, while others are left begging on their knees to go on such trips.
New Era is in possession of a trail of email printouts in which staff members express their unhappiness. The emails are visible to all National Assembly staff members, including the Speaker Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab.
“I’m writing this email, with disappointment in the administrative system of parliament, unfair treatment and lack of communication because some people (staff) are not questioned when they travel on official trips, but others are discriminated and questioned,” reads one of the emails from an employee who cannot be named for fear of repercussions.
Another part of the same email reads: “Allow me to also express myself on this platform. First of all whoever is having a problem with me should come to me and face me directly and not use other people as their shadows to send their ideologies (they know who they are). Secondly, I support the idea of having staff meetings, it is because of lack of staff meetings that some staff are left disappointed and others always moody. Thirdly, when staff rules and other administrative changes are being made in this institution, consultations should be done with staff members and not just operate in a vacuum, as though parliament is their private entity or house. I’m referring to the delay in overtime payouts, back pay of overtime, overtime being cut and decisions on who should go on which trip and who not,” reads one of the emails.
In another email, another employee called on staff members to take a stand and call for a staff meeting.
“Communication is the blood vessel of any institution, therefore I hope we can all agree to have a staff meeting. I don’t know how effective the last team building was, and I know that team building is supposed to strengthen the relationship between staff members and improve interpersonal relationships amongst staff members. Low levels of cohesiveness make it difficult for staff to work together in a team and thus not achieving goals and missions of the institution,” reads the email.
The situation is so out of hand that some staff even decided to boycott parliament’s upcoming year-end function because of the situation within the corridors of parliament.
“This is to officially inform you that I am no longer attending this year-end function due to personal and other official reasons,” said one disgruntled staffer.
“Why then should we attend the year-end function and buy face with some managers who know exactly what they are doing … if we all know how they disappoint us; what’s team building, let’s not fool ourselves because the grapevine talks for itself. The only way to solve these issues is when staff meetings are regularly held, communication flows well internally; this will strengthen and motivate team work, and in the end all staff will work to the benefit of this institution,” lamented another staff member.
Others accused Secretary of the National Assembly Jakes Jacobs of running the administrative affairs of the National Assembly in a dictatorial manner by taking unilateral decisions on who should go on trips, and even turns down subsistence and travel allowance at his own discretion.
Others applauded National Assembly Deputy Speaker Loide Kasingo for at least making time to listen to some complaints of staff members.
“I salute the deputy speaker who took the initiative to try and listen to staff problems, that is how a leader/manager should act and not ignore staff problems and let the problems escalate in this institution,” wrote one of the complainants.
Contacted for comment, Jacobs disputed allegations levelled against him and said he was willing to leave his post if his services were not needed anymore.
“It is difficult to run a place like this and have peace with everyone. I am aware that I am not perfect and I will always try not to make more enemies. I was supposed to retire end of September but they asked me to stay on because I can still do things a lot of people will not be able to do.
I am not without sin or perfect, all I am saying is that I am trying my best to survive under these difficult circumstances,” he said.
Jacobs said he cannot satisfy everybody, adding that there are those running to the Public Service Commission and the ombudsman when they do not get posts for which they applied and claim that the process was not conducted fairly.
“If I cannot serve my country anymore, they are welcome to ask me to leave,” he said.