Jaenique Swartz
A string of workers are claiming unfair dismissals from the Woermann Brock Fresh Market in Klein Windhoek.
One of the former workers, Eva Shiwa Nakwahondja, said on 13 October 2023, she accidentally gave a customer the wrong amount of change, and claims her dismissal was unfair as it is a human error anyone can make.
The 28-year-old explained that she assisted the customer who purchased three bars of chocolate to the value of N$30 with a N$200 note. She subsequently gave the customer N$70 back. The customer returned to the store, and asked for the mistake to be rectified. Nakwahondja claims she immediately checked the CCTV footage, and corrected her mistake.
She continued with her work, until she was called into the office by her sales manager, Freddy Mwiinda.
“He told me to cash up and go because he did not want to see my face,” she stated.
Giving his side of the encounter,
Mwiinda expressed that it was not the first time she had given customers the wrong amount of change, and that if Woermann Brock was not satisfied with the work of the recruits, they would be asked to leave.
Another former employee, 23-year-old Mirjam August was dismissed after she allegedly did not scan a packet of cigarettes, but she claims she has she never received any evidence of the accusations.
“The manager called me into his office to tell me they were going to suspend me for a few days, and informed me I should not tell anyone until they sort everything out,” she told New Era. Unfortunately for August, this happened in July this year, and she currently remains unemployed. The ex-employee detailed that she never received a letter of suspension, nor a letter of job termination.
Similarly, Tabea Nicodemus was employed
at the entity from December 2021, but was asked to leave the premises by 14h00 on 11 April this year after the store claimed that she was short of N$200. She said they never provided any proof regarding their claims.
“I appealed on 12 April, and was informed that my appeal was not successful. But I was not provided with any proof. I was not the only worker who was short of money, but I was the only one who got fired. I did not receive any warning of any sort,” Nicodemus continued.
Meanwhile, Nakwahondja said she went for a hearing on 16 October, and recorded the event as requested by her boss Lucky Gaseb from LG Company, but that was it. “I want to know why managers dismiss employees without clear procedures. Managers must be dealt with by management, as they cannot make their personal issues go beyond their job descriptions,” she added.
Moreover, she said the working environment was tinged with favouritism, unfairness, and constant verbal insults from Mwiinda. Nwakahondja noted that Gaseb is of very little help, as he allegedly never has time for her or any of the other recruits when they call to inform him of the treatment obstacles they face at Woermann Brock under the leadership of Mwiinda.
Mwiinda countered that he treats all his employees fair and equal, but August too had a different view. She revealed that Mwiinda would have arguments with some of the employees, and recalls instances when he would berate them for resting before their shifts would start. The ladies claim the current employees are constantly fearing when they would be the next to be fired. “At Woermann Brock, somebody has to be fired each and every month, especially if you are not favoured by the manager or the top rank,” they said jointly.
The toxic environment in which the women worked is not something that has just transpired, Nakwahondja stated, alleging that she was pushed to the ground by a security guard at the store last October. The incident resulted in her being berated with verbal and tribalistic insults by the security guard, and claims the guard faced zero consequences after the incident.
She was then instructed not to press any charges by management, as they claimed they would handle the situation internally.
Gaseb did not comment on the allegations by Nakwahondja and her erstwhile colleagues.
- jaeniqueswartz@icloud.com