Windhoek
Seventeen instructors at Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre (Kayec) are still embroiled in a protracted strike that began on June 28 over alleged salary discrepancies and a lack of teaching materials at the state institution.
The striking instructors are also demanding a 10 percent salary increment across the board plus fringe benefits. But Kayec has only offered a 5.1percent increase.
Group spokesperson Donald Kuhanga confirmed to New Era they are waiting for the arbitrator’s ruling on November 10 on whether the strike is legal or not.
“We are open for negotiations provided that Kayec is willing to share its books with us,” he said.
Early this year New Era had reported a Kayec director earns N$72 139 a month. His deputy director nets N$34 859 per month and the human resources manager gets N$33 699 a month, while a monitoring and evaluation officer grosses N$22 632 a month and a communication officer earns N$21 674 a month.
The instructors and trainers are aggrieved and feel they do much work only to take home N$6 322, little more than the cleaners who earn N$5 528 per month.
Contacted for comment, Kayec human resources manager Johan Visagie said their hands are tied as they are waiting for the outcome from the arbitrator.
However, yesterday Visagie said the majority of classes started again and the remaining classes would be back in session very soon.
He said Kayec’s most immediate priority is to finalise plans to allow as many students as possible to return to their studies in order to complete their terms.