NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-08-13New union demands fee deduction – again
Ndanki Kahiurika
THE NEWLY formed Namibia Commercial, Catering Food and Allied Workers Union (NACCAFWU) has accused the Windhoek Country Club and Resort (WCCR) of forcing some of its workers to keep on paying membership fees to the Namibian Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau).
NACCAFWU claims that 131 workers at WCCR have signed up with the new union but the fees were still being paid into NAFAU’s coffers.
Joseph Garoeb, NACCAFWU deputy secretary general, said WCCR should remit the fees into their coffers, “Direct the fees to us or do not deduct any membership fees belonging to our members at all.”
Garoeb, who also claimed that his union now has more than 1 000 members, said if the government can deduct membership fees for two unions like the Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN) and the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu), why can’t WCCR do the same thing too.
WCCR manager Tony Boucher, however, said they cannot deduct fees for a union which they do not recognise because it’s not registered with them yet.
“These are instructions given to us by the Labour Commissioner,” said Boucher.
A senior member of Nafau who declined to be named yesterday said they have not yet received any resignation letters from their more than 200 union members working at WCCR.
The Namibian recently reported that NACCAFWU had allegedly misled WCCR workers by claiming to have replaced Nafau and that the new union had requested the Labour Commissioner to recognise the agreement it signed with the Coca Cola Bottling company.
Garoeb, a former Nafau Windhoek branch chairperson, said his union had followed the procedures set down for establishing such an organisation and that they had registered with the Labour Commissioner.
The union’s secretary general, John Paporo, appealed with The Namibian to correct the information to clear any misunderstanding amongst the members some of whom had already called seeking explanation.
NACCAFWU claims that 131 workers at WCCR have signed up with the new union but the fees were still being paid into NAFAU’s coffers.
Joseph Garoeb, NACCAFWU deputy secretary general, said WCCR should remit the fees into their coffers, “Direct the fees to us or do not deduct any membership fees belonging to our members at all.”
Garoeb, who also claimed that his union now has more than 1 000 members, said if the government can deduct membership fees for two unions like the Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN) and the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu), why can’t WCCR do the same thing too.
WCCR manager Tony Boucher, however, said they cannot deduct fees for a union which they do not recognise because it’s not registered with them yet.
“These are instructions given to us by the Labour Commissioner,” said Boucher.
A senior member of Nafau who declined to be named yesterday said they have not yet received any resignation letters from their more than 200 union members working at WCCR.
The Namibian recently reported that NACCAFWU had allegedly misled WCCR workers by claiming to have replaced Nafau and that the new union had requested the Labour Commissioner to recognise the agreement it signed with the Coca Cola Bottling company.
Garoeb, a former Nafau Windhoek branch chairperson, said his union had followed the procedures set down for establishing such an organisation and that they had registered with the Labour Commissioner.
The union’s secretary general, John Paporo, appealed with The Namibian to correct the information to clear any misunderstanding amongst the members some of whom had already called seeking explanation.
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