Casual workers in a fizz as strike ends in dismissal

MORE than 90 casual workers at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Oshakati downed tools yesterday, complaining about alleged maltreatment by the factory management and labour-hire company Africa Personnel Services (APS).

They claim that management has prohibited APS workers from using showers, toilets and dressing rooms at the plant. The Regional Marketing Manager of Namibia Beverages, Jean-Francis Gahutu, confirmed that the company had informed APS some time ago that it had to provide its own facilities for its workers.The APS casual staff work as loaders and bottle sorters.Gahutu said it was not the first time that casual workers had disrupted operations at the bottling plant and it was affecting the company’s business and its image among customers.Gahutu said the management team at Oshakati had decided to dismiss all APS workers who refused to work yesterday and they were looking for new casual workers.”We have really lost a lot in production and in selling because of this unnecessary strike and we cannot tolerate that any more.We have to go forward while APS is putting its house in order.We can also go alone without them [APS], because they are giving us many problems and hampering our operations,” Gahutu said.He said Namibia Beverages’ National Human Resources Manager, Jaco van Wyk, was scheduled to fly in for an emergency meeting.The APS operational officer at Oshakati, Marelice Visser, told The Namibian that she had conveyed the factory management’s instructions about the ablution facilities to the workers last month.”I told my workers, but they were very unhappy with that decision and continued using the facilities, as there were no other facilities in the surrounding area for them to use,” she said.When the factory management yesterday gave the workers a final warning not to use the facilities, they decided to strike, Visser said.”I have told our director of APS, Leon Nienaber, and he is now aware of this problem.I am sure something will be done on this matter,” Visser said.According to a spokesperson for the workers, Salomo Nangolo, the workers had nowhere else to wash and dress after handling dirty cooldrink crates.Nangolo told The Namibian that the workers had told their union, Nafau, about their grievances but nothing had come of it.The Regional Marketing Manager of Namibia Beverages, Jean-Francis Gahutu, confirmed that the company had informed APS some time ago that it had to provide its own facilities for its workers.The APS casual staff work as loaders and bottle sorters.Gahutu said it was not the first time that casual workers had disrupted operations at the bottling plant and it was affecting the company’s business and its image among customers.Gahutu said the management team at Oshakati had decided to dismiss all APS workers who refused to work yesterday and they were looking for new casual workers.”We have really lost a lot in production and in selling because of this unnecessary strike and we cannot tolerate that any more.We have to go forward while APS is putting its house in order.We can also go alone without them [APS], because they are giving us many problems and hampering our operations,” Gahutu said.He said Namibia Beverages’ National Human Resources Manager, Jaco van Wyk, was scheduled to fly in for an emergency meeting.The APS operational officer at Oshakati, Marelice Visser, told The Namibian that she had conveyed the factory management’s instructions about the ablution facilities to the workers last month.”I told my workers, but they were very unhappy with that decision and continued using the facilities, as there were no other facilities in the surrounding area for them to use,” she said.When the factory management yesterday gave the workers a final warning not to use the facilities, they decided to strike, Visser said.”I have told our director of APS, Leon Nienaber, and he is now aware of this problem.I am sure something will be done on this matter,” Visser said.According to a spokesperson for the workers, Salomo Nangolo, the workers had nowhere else to wash and dress after handling dirty cooldrink crates.Nangolo told The Namibian that the workers had told their union, Nafau, about their grievances but nothing had come of it.