Labour minister Utoni Nujoma is expected to table in the National Assembly the national minimum wage bill that will be enforced across all sectors to curb unfair remuneration rates.

This is contained in a quarterly report issued on Monday by the ministry which highlights what the ministry has done since the beginning of this year up to now and the way forward.

The report said that Namibia as a member state of the International Labour Organisation, is expected to be on par with the International Labour Standards. As a result, a submission was made to Cabinet for the minister to table the ratifications of two conventions namely the Domestic Workers Convention of 2011 and Violence and Harassment Convention of 2019, where the national minimum wage was one of the major topics that should be implemented by all member states. 

“Progress has been made in establishing the national minimum wage that will be enforced across all sectors. Once implemented, it is expected to curb unfair remuneration rates especially in sectors where there are currently no minimum wages by agreement or in terms of wage orders,” reads the report.

It added that, as required by the Labour Act No. 11 of 2007, the minister appointed and inaugurated the 14th Labour Advisory Council early this year – a tripartite body that aims to strengthen social dialogue and advise the minister on labour and employment-related issues.

The council is comprised of 13 members from different institutions in the labour sector, and they will serve for a period of three years.

The report also highlighted that about 406 non-Namibian employees are being understudied by Namibians during the reporting period, with the purpose of skills transfer from the expatriates to the locals. This is done in order to eånsure less non-Namibians åare employed while at the same time more Namibians are being capacitated in areas where skills are scarce, as per the Affirmative Action Act and regulations.

-Nampa