THE OFFICE of the Labour Commissioner has set up a conciliation board between two unions representing security guards and the Security Association of Namibia (SAN).
The two unions are the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Natau) and the Namibia Security Guards and Watchmen Union (Nasgwu). Each union has to propose the name of a person to chair the conciliation board.This person has to be confirmed by the two unions and SAN before he or she can take up the position.The three parties also have to agree on a venue, date and time for the first meeting of the board.Natau’s General Secretary, John Kwedhi, said the two unions had already chosen representatives to sit on the conciliation board but there has been no word from SAN.”We have completed all the necessary procedures required from us.We are just waiting for a response from SAN, and if nothing happens very soon, we will have to go back to our original plan of action,” Kwedhi said.Meanwhile, some security officers are worried whether the conciliation board will have a positive result soon.”We want this issue sorted out soon, we have been waiting for this for a long time and our employers should try and understand that as valuable as the people and properties we protect are, we are also people with needs like them,” said Frans, a security guard in Windhoek.”These people make a lot of money from their clients and they are paying us peanuts compared to what they get paid.We have to stand for 12 hours without lunch breaks.We fear for our safety all the time because our lives are always on the line.We don’t get any special benefits for the work we do, like a bonus at the end of the year for the hard work we do.”Security Association member Kobus Visser said the association would try to conclude the salary negotiations as soon as possible in order to settle this dispute.A planned countrywide strike by security guards was put on hold on Tuesday after the unions and SAN decided to settle the dispute by applying for a conciliation board.The stalemate came after Security Association rejected the unions’ demand for an increase of N$3,90 per shift.The Association offered an increase of N$2,10 per shift.Each union has to propose the name of a person to chair the conciliation board.This person has to be confirmed by the two unions and SAN before he or she can take up the position.The three parties also have to agree on a venue, date and time for the first meeting of the board.Natau’s General Secretary, John Kwedhi, said the two unions had already chosen representatives to sit on the conciliation board but there has been no word from SAN.”We have completed all the necessary procedures required from us.We are just waiting for a response from SAN, and if nothing happens very soon, we will have to go back to our original plan of action,” Kwedhi said. Meanwhile, some security officers are worried whether the conciliation board will have a positive result soon.”We want this issue sorted out soon, we have been waiting for this for a long time and our employers should try and understand that as valuable as the people and properties we protect are, we are also people with needs like them,” said Frans, a security guard in Windhoek.”These people make a lot of money from their clients and they are paying us peanuts compared to what they get paid.We have to stand for 12 hours without lunch breaks.We fear for our safety all the time because our lives are always on the line.We don’t get any special benefits for the work we do, like a bonus at the end of the year for the hard work we do.”Security Association member Kobus Visser said the association would try to conclude the salary negotiations as soon as possible in order to settle this dispute. A planned countrywide strike by security guards was put on hold on Tuesday after the unions and SAN decided to settle the dispute by applying for a conciliation board.The stalemate came after Security Association rejected the unions’ demand for an increase of N$3,90 per shift.The Association offered an increase of N$2,10 per shift.
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