NUNW to stage consumer boycott

By: STAFF REPORTER

A MASS consumer boycott is one of the options the National Union of Namibian Workers is looking at after it accused some local and multinational companies of exploiting union members.

Among those mentioned were the retail chain Shoprite, the Pupkewitz Group and Etosha Transport.
NUNW Secretary General Evilastus Kaaronda said they decided to instruct their structures to mobilise workers across the country for a national consumer boycott.
“This boycott will be aimed at forcing companies to employ our members on a permanent basis and to pay them salaries commensurate with the market trends,” he said.
He said there was a serious proliferation of retailers with locals “being elbowed out of business” because the Government failed to protect them.
“We do not need any foreign-owned company to sell us sweets when we have enough local capacity to manufacture and sell sweets to ourselves,” Kaaronda said.
It is not the first time that the NUNW threatens companies with a national consumer boycott.
More than three years ago they were at odds with Pupkewitz Holdings during salary negotiations and threatened a consumer boycott.
During that time they also accused the Pupkewitz Group of falling short on employment equity requirements at managerial level.
They used figures from the Employment Equity Commission (EEC) and said the management structures at the company were “too white”.
The Pupkewitz Group has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying it complies with the EEC
On Monday the NUNW repeated their allegations that the Pupkewitz Group continued to violate the Affirmative Action Act.
Kaaronda said the EEC had submitted complaints to the Office of the Prosecutor General but no prosecution followed, while “high-ranking Government officials (were) in cahoots with companies like those under the Pupkewitz Group”.
More than two years ago the NUNW also threatened Ohlthaver & List with a consumer boycott after wage discussions during the restructuring of Windhoek Schlachterei did not go their way.
Nothing came of the threat.

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