MORE than 120 Air Namibia ground staff have threatened to quit on 16 May if the airline fails to reverse a decision taken in 2016 to slash their salaries.
The company slashed workers’ salaries during a regrading process three years ago.
A shop stewards’ committee chairperson at the airline, Martin Nghidengwa, told a media briefing in Windhoek yesterday that Air Namibia had breached an agreement to reverse the decision.
He was speaking at a media conference organised by the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau).
Nghidengwa said the workers began negotiating and petitioning the company’s management over the salaries in 2017, but were met with hostility.
The workers then referred the dispute to the labour commissioner in 2018 after reaching a deadlock, but the union managed to bring the parties together, where an agreement was struck.
Part of the agreement was that Air Namibia would reverse its decision to slash the workers’ salaries. However, Nghidengwa explained that in March this year, Air Namibia reneged on that agreement meant to address the discrepancies in the basic salaries and fringe benefits.
The agreement also stated that the airline would pay back the outstanding amounts due to the affected employees from June 2016 to February 2019 over three months (April, May and June 2019).
He said the company had likewise agreed to pay the variance in overtime and Sunday time in July 2019, but a day before payday on 25 April, the board resolved that the agreement should be deferred until such a time that the airline was in a better financial position.
“There is chaos at the national airline,” he warned.
Natau secretary general John Kwedhi told the media conference that Air Namibia owes the workers about N$4,6 million.
Kwedhi claimed that Air Namibian management denied owing this amount by trying to conceal this fact.
He added that Natau has actively been involved in trying to uncover the irregularities, and to make sure that someone accounts for it.
Air Namibia spokesperson Twaku Kayofa said they will respond to media queries this afternoon.
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