D-day for 93 Schlachterei workers

THE restructuring exercise at Windhoek Schlachterei will be completed today after a six-week process.

Only 46 of the workers have reapplied for the 63 jobs in the new structure, while the possibility of a court interdict to halt the process has not been ruled out. The loss-making Windhoek Schlachterei is a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List Group.”There are 58 employees at the butchery who did not reapply and thus only 46 of the 63 positions are filled so far,” acting Windhoek Schlachterei Managing Director Andy Roberts told a media briefing in Windhoek yesterday.”A further 10 applications were received by other employees in the O & L Group,” he added.The intention was to pay out severance packages to those employees who did not apply for a job, Roberts said.”We however do not know if the labour unions will undertake any actions on Wednesday,” he added.Roberts circulated copies of ‘hate posters’ which had been put up at the premises over the past few weeks with slogans like ‘We hate you Windhoek Schlachterei management’ and ‘Andy Roberts – the man who stole money countrywide’.Anonymous letters were also sent last month to large supermarkets that are clients of the butchery, saying that “this is our last order till further notice, restructuring came as a big shock for us”.The letter was signed with the words “from concern (sic), suffering employees of Windhoek Schlachterei”.”There has been some intimidation at the butchery over the past few weeks,” Roberts claimed yesterday.”We got in handwriting experts and internal disciplinary action is taking place.Pending the outcome of that we will consider legal action regarding these posters.”The Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafwu) would not say yesterday whether any action such as a demonstration or an urgent court interdict was planned for today.”In general the labour unions have their plans in such cases but it would be premature to disclose anything, should we plan anything for Wednesday,” Nafwu President Abel Kazondunge told The Namibian yesterday.He is one of the affected employees at the butchery.”I did not apply for a position for the new structure at Windhoek Schlachterei,” he added, but would not say whether he was seeking employment elsewhere.A tripartite meeting with O &L and the unions took place at the Labour Ministry on Tuesday, but produced no results.”The unions still want to negotiate on the principle of the restructuring process at the butchery, which is ending on Wednesday,” Roberts told The Namibian.Nafwu Deputy General Secretary Joseph-Jason Shikongo said the union still wanted to know what job requirements had ben set for the new structure at the butchery.”The meeting with Permanent Secretary Ulitala Hiveluah brought nothing new and did not resolve issues,” Shikongo told The Namibian.The loss-making Windhoek Schlachterei is a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List Group.”There are 58 employees at the butchery who did not reapply and thus only 46 of the 63 positions are filled so far,” acting Windhoek Schlachterei Managing Director Andy Roberts told a media briefing in Windhoek yesterday.”A further 10 applications were received by other employees in the O & L Group,” he added.The intention was to pay out severance packages to those employees who did not apply for a job, Roberts said.”We however do not know if the labour unions will undertake any actions on Wednesday,” he added.Roberts circulated copies of ‘hate posters’ which had been put up at the premises over the past few weeks with slogans like ‘We hate you Windhoek Schlachterei management’ and ‘Andy Roberts – the man who stole money countrywide’.Anonymous letters were also sent last month to large supermarkets that are clients of the butchery, saying that “this is our last order till further notice, restructuring came as a big shock for us”.The letter was signed with the words “from concern (sic), suffering employees of Windhoek Schlachterei”.”There has been some intimidation at the butchery over the past few weeks,” Roberts claimed yesterday.”We got in handwriting experts and internal disciplinary action is taking place.Pending the outcome of that we will consider legal action regarding these posters.”The Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafwu) would not say yesterday whether any action such as a demonstration or an urgent court interdict was planned for today.”In general the labour unions have their plans in such cases but it would be premature to disclose anything, should we plan anything for Wednesday,” Nafwu President Abel Kazondunge told The Namibian yesterday.He is one of the affected employees at the butchery.”I did not apply for a position for the new structure at Windhoek Schlachterei,” he added, but would not say whether he was seeking employment elsewhere.A tripartite meeting with O &L and the unions took place at the Labour Ministry on Tuesday, but produced no results.”The unions still want to negotiate on the principle of the restructuring process at the butchery, which is ending on Wednesday,” Roberts told The Namibian.Nafwu Deputy General Secretary Joseph-Jason Shikongo said the union still wanted to know what job requirements had ben set for the new structure at the butchery.”The meeting with Permanent Secretary Ulitala Hiveluah brought nothing new and did not resolve issues,” Shikongo told The Namibian.