By Edgar Brandt
WINDHOEK – On Wednesday the Employment Equity Commissioner (EEC) embarked on what was termed a “random” verification exercise of affirmative action reports at First National Bank Namibia. However, the worker’s representative union at FNB Namibia, the Namibia Bank and Allied Workers Union, yesterday expressed its disappointment with the focus of the EEC’s review officer.
“I expected the affirmative action inspectors to focus more on the AA Committee and on our core issue, which is the strategic decision-making positions within the bank still being occupied mostly by whites,” said Lawrence Ihuhua, Secretary General of the Bank and Allied Workers Union.
Ihuhua alleged the EEC’s review officer already made recommendations to FNB Namibia’s chief executive officer, before talking to the union. “The way the review was conducted makes it seem as if the bank’s AA Committee consists of management only,” charged Ihuhua.
Responding to questions sent by New Era, FNB’s Head of Strategic Marketing and Communications, Dixon Norval, said: “All corporate companies are obliged by law to submit their employment equity plan to the Employment Equity Commissioner annually and, in terms of the Act and the powers vested in the commissioner, it is their duty to conduct routine verification of the AA reports. FNB has done so in the past and again received its EE certificate last year. In February this year a new EE plan was submitted and FNB is awaiting its certification. The employment equity commissioner is currently busy with its routine verification exercise.”
According to the EEC, the review officers conducting the verification process should engage in discussions with the AA Committee and management, non-Namibian employees (if any), Namibian understudies (if any) and employees who received training during the last 12 months.
In addition, the review officers are also expected to look at the promotion, recruitment policies and payroll and may ask any employee questions relating to affirmative action in general.
About two weeks ago Ihuhua demanded that FNB Namibia provides proof that the union, which sits on the bank’s Affirmative Action (AA) Committee, actually participated in discussions regarding affirmative action before the report was submitted to the EEC.
This was after the CEO of FNB Namibia, Ian Leyenaar, insisted that the union did indeed provide input before the report was submitted. The union then alleged that FNB Namibia submitted the report to the EEC without the bank’s entire AA Committee’s input.