Go-slow at Air Namibia

AIR Namibia employees say they will embark on a go-slow as from tomorrow after management failed to attend a meeting which was scheduled for Tuesday to discuss employees salary cuts.

This was revealed this afternoon by spokesperson of the employees, Martin Nghidengwa, following a peaceful demonstration at the company’s headquarters in Windhoek.

He said the employees handed over a petition to the board chairperson last year July, who referred it to the management of the company to address their issues.

“Until today, the issue of the salary downgrade, which has affected 300 employees, has not been addressed by management,” Nghidengwa stressed.

“On Tuesday, we had a conciliation meeting at the Office of the Labour Commissioner, and unfortunately management did not pitch for the meeting. We take that as a sign of disrespect to employees, and thus decided to hold this demonstration to put pressure on management to resolve this matter,” he continued.

An employee of the company, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said this was their second demonstration within the last two months to try and get the government’s attention.

“We want the minister and the government at large to see that clearly, something is wrong, and we need some form of action taken,” said the worker.

“The management took a decision to cut our salaries without properly informing us, and this has since affected us greatly because many of us are not able to meet our needs,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of management, Air Namibia’s corporate communications manager Paul Nakawa said some members of the management team had to travel out of the country on urgent company business, and thus could not be present at the meeting.

“But contact was, however, made with the Office of the Labour Commissioner to explain the envisaged process, as well as to apologise for the absence,” said Nakawa.

“Over the years, the parties have managed to resolve issues amicably, and it’s my conviction that this one too will be resolved peacefully for the good of all,” he said.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.