NBC Strike Was Bad

I WOULD like to congratulate NBC employees for their victory in the battle of their salary increments, and other benefits, by downing tools, as well as the Government of the Republic of Namibia for forcefully reacting to the poor workers’ demands. Yes, it is done and I personally give credit to both parties.

However, the strike should neither be seen as the only way to have our demands met by the government, nor the only way for government to respond to workers’ needs. I am not saying that employees should not on strike when their peaceful requests fall on deaf ears, I mean that the pros and cons of going on strike should be considered.
Imagine how negatively the NBC closure affected a large portion of the population, especially in the rural areas. NBC is facing massive deficits as a result of the six-day workers’ strike. This is very costly for the government as it has to look for means not only to increase employees’ salaries, but also to reverse the whole situation.
Teachers and nurses have been encouraged, on the SMS pages of The Namibian, to put down chalk and medical tools to go out on the streets, while abandoning innocent pupils and patients at the expense of government’s reluctance to deal with their financial demands. This is unacceptable and must be avoided by all means.
To sum up, the government should listen to the employees’ needs and act upon demands in time to avoid such strikes in future. Workers, on the other hand, should follow the correct channels to claim what is due to them before going on strike.

Christian Mululu
Windhoek

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