CIC and labour unions save 93 jobs

THE local subsidiary of a South African wholesaler and union leaders have found a solution to retain the jobs of 91 workers who faced imminent retrenchment.

Workers blocked an entrance gate at Commercial Investment Corporation (CIC) with two cars from 07h00 on Friday and tied a banner across the gate, vowing not to move until management promised to stop the retrenchment exercise. They even set up a tent demonstrating their intention to remain put until an amicable solution was found.Earlier in the week, the enraged workers together with Nafau union leaders handed over a petition to CIC, accusing the company of having negotiated in bad faith.CIC General Manager Marcel Lamprecht responded on Thursday that the company had been restructuring its different departments for the last two years and that the warehouse and distribution sections were now undergoing the streamlining exercise.”We are outsourcing these two departments and the 93 affected workers were given the opportunity to apply for jobs at the new company,” Lamprecht said.Two of the 93 labourers opted for voluntary retrenchment.The General Secretary of the Namibia Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau) and Evilastus Kaaronda, Secretary General of the umbrella labour organisation National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) held intense negotiations with CIC management all day long on Friday to find a solution together with officials from the Labour Commission.”Negotiations were really tough but we found a solution,” Kaaronda told The Namibian yesterday.”CIC committed themselves to keep all 91 jobs.Those workers will have preference when applying for a job at the new company to take over the warehouse and distribution sections.”An agreement to that effect is to be signed today.Attempts to get comment from CIC management over the weekend were unsuccessful.They even set up a tent demonstrating their intention to remain put until an amicable solution was found.Earlier in the week, the enraged workers together with Nafau union leaders handed over a petition to CIC, accusing the company of having negotiated in bad faith.CIC General Manager Marcel Lamprecht responded on Thursday that the company had been restructuring its different departments for the last two years and that the warehouse and distribution sections were now undergoing the streamlining exercise.”We are outsourcing these two departments and the 93 affected workers were given the opportunity to apply for jobs at the new company,” Lamprecht said.Two of the 93 labourers opted for voluntary retrenchment.The General Secretary of the Namibia Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau) and Evilastus Kaaronda, Secretary General of the umbrella labour organisation National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) held intense negotiations with CIC management all day long on Friday to find a solution together with officials from the Labour Commission.”Negotiations were really tough but we found a solution,” Kaaronda told The Namibian yesterday.”CIC committed themselves to keep all 91 jobs.Those workers will have preference when applying for a job at the new company to take over the warehouse and distribution sections.”An agreement to that effect is to be signed today.Attempts to get comment from CIC management over the weekend were unsuccessful.