Windhoek
A director in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Henri Kassen, has been appointed to the role of labour commissioner in the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation.
Deputy Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation Alpheus Muheua yesterday confirmed Kassen’s appointment, saying he is expected to start his new duties on November 2.
He takes over from Bro-Mathew Shinguadja, who was appointed in July as permanent secretary at the ministry of labour.
According to Muheua, all due processes of recruitment were followed and a suitable candidate was found. After approval by the Public Service Commission, the job was offered to Kassen, who accepted the offer.
Kassen served as a director in the MICT since its inception in 2008. His first task as labour commissioner will be to resolve the ongoing dispute between TransNamib and the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (NATAU), the union representing TransNamib workers.
On Tuesday about 200 TransNamib and Air Namibia workers marched to the head office of the Ministry of Works and Transport to deliver a petition.
Handing over the petition to Minister Alpheus !Naruseb on Tuesday, TransNamib shopsteward Martin Nghindwa blasted working conditions and wage negotiations at the institution, saying that TransNamib employees are among the lowest paid personnel, compared to other State-owned enterprises.
Nghindwa, who read the petition on behalf of the assembled workers, said a study conducted in 2008 indicated that employees of TransNamib are paid 35 percent below the market rate.
“We have waited too long to see the intervention of the shareholders in the TransNamib saga, but no concrete steps have been taken to arrest the situation,” he said.