Government says it’s taking AA transgressors to court

SEVEN years after the implementation of the Affirmative Action (AA) Act, progress towards equity in employment has not been encouraging, says Labour Minister Alpheus !Naruseb.

!Naruseb said on Friday that lawmakers were becoming increasingly impatient with the slow progress in implementing affirmative action. He said MPs were also concerned about reported cases of non-compliance by employers who are obliged to by law to submit affirmative action plans and reports.Under the AA Act, employers with 25 or more employees have to file these reports.!Naruseb said the situation had been investigated by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social and Community Development.”The committee recommended that decisive steps be taken to ensure strict adherence to the affirmative action law by relevant employees,” !Naruseb said.Law enforcement agencies, he added, had been requested to ensure the speedy prosecution of those employers “who dare test Government’s determination” in enforcing the AA Act.As a result, 15 companies would be criminally charged with affirmative action-related offences on April 20.The Minister made this announcement during the inauguration of the new Employers’ Equity Commission (EEC) offices in Windhoek.Since the EEC’s inception seven years ago, the body has shared a building with the Labour Commissioner’s office in Windhoek’s Khomasdal area.This changed in November, when the EEC moved to its own premises in Windhoek West.The inauguration was attended by various well-known figures from the business and political sector, including business tycoon Harold Pupkewitz and the president of the Namibia Employers’ Federation (NEF), Volker Kuschner.While the AA Act was intended to be a temporary measure to rectify an abnormal situation in workplaces, !Naruseb warned business owners that the law would remain on the statute books “for as long as it takes to achieve an equitable and diverse workforce that reflects the demographics of our nation”.He said MPs were also concerned about reported cases of non-compliance by employers who are obliged to by law to submit affirmative action plans and reports.Under the AA Act, employers with 25 or more employees have to file these reports.!Naruseb said the situation had been investigated by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social and Community Development.”The committee recommended that decisive steps be taken to ensure strict adherence to the affirmative action law by relevant employees,” !Naruseb said.Law enforcement agencies, he added, had been requested to ensure the speedy prosecution of those employers “who dare test Government’s determination” in enforcing the AA Act.As a result, 15 companies would be criminally charged with affirmative action-related offences on April 20.The Minister made this announcement during the inauguration of the new Employers’ Equity Commission (EEC) offices in Windhoek.Since the EEC’s inception seven years ago, the body has shared a building with the Labour Commissioner’s office in Windhoek’s Khomasdal area.This changed in November, when the EEC moved to its own premises in Windhoek West.The inauguration was attended by various well-known figures from the business and political sector, including business tycoon Harold Pupkewitz and the president of the Namibia Employers’ Federation (NEF), Volker Kuschner.While the AA Act was intended to be a temporary measure to rectify an abnormal situation in workplaces, !Naruseb warned business owners that the law would remain on the statute books “for as long as it takes to achieve an equitable and diverse workforce that reflects the demographics of our nation”.