Will The Teachers Ever Strike Legally?

OVER the past few weeks teachers in Namibia went on an illegal strike which did not only affect the learners’ preparation for the final examinations but also shook up the political atmosphere in our country.

Some officials were concerned why this labour unrest came before the ruling party’s congress and they believe there are some political reasons behind these strikes.
I want to start by clearing the propaganda that is prevalent among Namibians. In my opinion, teachers were striking because they are not paid in accordance with the work they do and nobody was behind their decision.
Now, why do they strike if there is a trade union representing them? The answer is simple, the teachers don’t trust their union anymore because the union doesn’t represent the teachers as per the union constitution.
According to protocols the union was supposed to get items for discussion from the employees and when they cannot reach an agreement they go back to the employee.
These steps were not followed in the just concluded secret negotiation between government and Nantu [Namibia National Teacher’s Union] and this led to the teachers’ illegal strike.
In conclusion, I want all educators to familiarise themselves with Nantu’s constitution and the labour law so that when we embark on our next strike, which I hope will be early next year, it will be legal.
Namibian teachers will never have a legal strike for as long as Nantu is our bargaining union.
 Nantu is the government and the government is Nantu... “An apple will never fall far from the tree”.

Tuyoleni
Ohangwena

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