WINDHOEK – The Namibia Security Guard Watchman Union (Nasgwu) has made a clarion call on the government that security guards also benefit from the planned mass housing scheme.
Nasgwu Secretary General David Frans has called on both the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development in partnership with the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) to ensure that security guards also be strongly considered for the mass housing project.
“Most of the security employees do not have houses and they find themselves living in informal settlements under unhygienic, inhumane conditions and without proper sanitation facilities, so it is very important for them to be considered,” he told a press briefing. Frans urged all Nasgwu members to go and register with their regional and municipal offices countrywide as well as the NHE to be considered for a house.
“With … supportive effort towards the decent minimum wage negotiations of 2014, we believe all security employees will be able to afford a brick house,” he said.
Frans also said he was very disturbed by the presence of the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) in the security industry. “Nasgwu is the legitimate trade union in the security industry, and I am very disturbed by the presence of Natau,” he said.
The unionist said the presence of Natau has hampered progress towards unifying security employees under one strong trade union, and Nasgwu has called on the labour commissioner to intervene. Frans said Natau must not be allowed to participate in the Namibia Security Labour Forum (NSLF) on the minimum wage increase of 2014 since Natau “at heart” does not represent the interests of security guards.
Frans said the labour commissioner should alternatively “afford employees an opportunity of a referendum to through the ballot decide on their rightful representative union of their choice”, referring to the unwelcome presence of Natau in the security industry.
“Nasgwu represents the majority of security employees and I therefore urge security officers to continue joining en masse to empower the union which bases itself on a progressive ideology and bargaining power for decent salaries, and which works for the benefit of all security employees in Namibia,” he said.
By Kuzeeko Tjitemisa