WALVIS BAY – Some retrenched workers at the coast claim that government is allowing foreign companies to exploit them.
According to the workers, the fact that government has not come up with or introduced a minimum wage for all work codes in the country gives room for exploitation by foreign and some private companies.
A recently retrenched worker, 45-year-old Onesmus Ndjembo, raised his concern to New Era yesterday, saying that this will not stop unless the government introduces minimum wages that cater for all types of employment and also take a closer look at the conditions under which contract workers are employed.
According to Ndjembo, many private companies get away with unfair labour practices simply because there are no guidelines for a minimum wage in place, especially for workers that are employed by foreign companies who secured big contracts in the country.
“If we had such legislations in place, retrenched workers would not suffer at all,” he said. Referring to himself, Ndjembo said that he was retrenched two weeks ago by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation – contracted at a mine in the Erongo Region.
“Despite working for the company for 18 months, I walked out empty-handed; only with my January salary and two days annual leave pay out. I received N$2 500, with no severance pay out. We are being exploited and some Namibians are even employed as general workers while they have applied for positions they are qualified in,” he said.
He also claimed that during his time with the company, he only had signed a three-month contract once. He also says that he was employed as a metal fixer but had to do general work as well.
At least eight other employees were retrenched along with Ndjembo.
A frustrated Ndjembo also said that government must be stringent with private companies, as most of them do not cater for medical aid, pension or housing allowance. “I have been employed by three companies so far, one of which was a fishing company. I was retrenched from all three companies and walked out with nothing , not even a pension or payout, as stipulated by the Labour Act.
“Now we are out of work with nothing to fall back on and don’t even qualify for social security,” he explained, adding that, “The government must really look into the employment conditions of Namibians.”