KATIMA MULILO – Employees of the Katima Mulilo Town Council (KMTC), who on Monday downed tools over a nine percent salary increment, yesterday returned to work after the Council and Namibia Public Workers’ Union (Napwu) signed a salary hike agreement.
Workers will receive a 7.5 percent salary increment dated to July 2017.
The agreement brought to an end a two-day stay-away strike, which affected the residents of Katima, as they were unable to access town council services for two days. The employees had planned to hand over a petition on Monday around 11h00, but this was halted by the Katima council management after they agreed to sit on the table and negotiate.
Workers wanted a nine percent increment, while Council offered five percent; however, after two days of protracted negotiations, the two parties settled on 7.5 percent salary increment for the 2017/2018 financial year–late on Tuesday afternoon.
However, the agreement signed by the two parties states the 7.5 percent basic salary increment across-the-board should still be approved by the Minister of Urban and Rural Development before it is implemented.
It further stated that the “percentage approved for the financial year 2018/2019 should not be implementeds until the 7.5 percent for 2017/18 is approved.”