RUNDU – Labour consultant Linus Neumbo has said he is unshaken by the Rani Group’s lawsuit threat and will continue fighting for his over 250 clients.
The employees were recently told they are transferred without their consent from the group’s Rundu Cash and Carry supermarket.
The Rani Group of companies have through their lawyers Dr Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc warned Neumbo, who is fighting to retain his clients’ jobs at the outlet, to stay far from their business or face a lawsuit. “Yes, I was served with that toilet paper letter. There’s no way they can keep me away, when I go to that shop, it is for a lawful purpose, which is my mandate to represent the employees and there is no day that I instigated the closure of the shop. If I do that, how will my clients work? they must work so that they earn a salary,” he said.
“They have noticed a threat in me, directing a pertinent labour issue so the best thing to do is Neumbo must stay away. If you transfer all the employees that you reinstated, it means you don’t want to comply with the settlement agreement,” said Neumbo who said he had responded to the letter sent to him by the lawyers.
With regard to the transfer, Neumbo said his clients are being fired indirectly.
The Cash and Carry manager, who preferred to identify himself only as Rex, refused to comment or provide the contact details of his bosses and only gave the labour hire company’s details. He said they will be able to answer all questions relating to the current situation with the workers. However, the labour hire agency contact, Kleopas Daniel’s phone remained unreachable.
The 257 workers were recently reinstated after they had been suspended for conducting an illegal strike in December over poor working conditions and low wages, among others.
On Wednesday, they blocked the supermarket entrance after they were not allowed to enter the shop and work. They were called the previous day after work and told they were being transferred to other towns. The workers took it as forced transfers.
“We have a settlement agreement which is binding all the parties and it must be implemented within three months. Nothing was implemented and when the employees within their rights pointed out expiry food and the mess going on in this shop, in retaliation they are being transferred to other shops out of the region. That will never happen. It means it is a constructive dismissal,” Neumbo said last week.
“No employee will comply. We are going to sort it out with the ministry of labour and if there is no solution, we are going to bring in an urgent interdict to stop this and if the Rani Group wants peace, they must get rid of Tsumeb councillor Gottlieb Ndjendjela, who owns the labour hire agency Employees Services Namibia,” Neumbo said.
However, the Rani Group responded through their legal representative, Dr Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc on Thursday stating Neumbo’s “unlawful conduct” and continuous blocking of the entrance, is disturbing their client’s business as they (their client) is unable to carry out their business activities which is causing them dire financial losses. “Accordingly, we demand that you refrain from your unlawful activities and vacate from our client’s premises immediately, and desist from your unruly chaotic behaviour which is at odds with peaceful resolutions of labour disputes as provided for in our Labour Act,” the law firm said in a letter seen by New Era on Thursday.
“It is our instructions that you are currently at the premises of our client, Rundu Cash & Carry CC and instigating and blocking workers of EPSN and clients to conduct their normal daily business,” read the letter.
Neumbo was further advised to arrange any discussions pertaining to the workers peacefully and through the law firm or arrange with the labour hire agency, under which the workers were hired to work for Rundu Cash & Carry.
The employees were also advised and given the liberty to approach the labour commissioner and lodge a complaint if aggrieved.