Guards down walkie-talkies

CLOSE to 17 000 security guards countrywide are set to go on strike today after failing to strike a deal with their employers on their demands for salary increases.

The Namibian Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Natau) Secretary General, John Kwedhi, said yesterday that all security guards would stop working from today until their demands were met. “We have continued to observe the unabated abuse of security guards by their employers who continue to make huge amounts of money.Employers must know that they cannot just abuse workers and expect no resistance,” Kwedhi said.”I call upon all security guards to withdraw their labour today for it is in their best interests in the long run to stand united.”He said they would not be intimidated by letters of dismissal.”Some employers have written intimidating letters to employees threatening that they would deal with them accordingly if they join the strike tomorrow but this will not work,” he claimed.The Secretary General of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), Evilastus Kaaronda, said the umbrella union supported the strike call by Natau and the Security Guards and Watchmen Union (NASGWU).”The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) fully supports the call by both Natau and NASGWU as representative unions of the employees employed by this notorious sector to institute measures that would ensure that every employee in this sector withholds his or her labour come Tuesday, August 14 2007,” Kaaronda said.Meanwhile, the Labour Commission has advised both parties to settle their dispute through conciliation and not through industrial action before a conciliation board had failed to resolve the dispute.In the meantime, some security companies have sent salary increase proposals and are willing to negotiate with the unions, but there has been no response.According to the unions, security guards are paid a starvation wage of N$2,09 an hour for a 12-hour shift, which amounts to N$25 a day.The Security Association of Namibia (SAN) made an offer of N$27,25 per shift, whereas the unions proposed N$3,90 per hour, which amounts to N$46,80 per shift.Kaaronda said the NUNW would also embark on a national campaign to get Government and private companies to boycott security companies that treated guards unfairly.”We have continued to observe the unabated abuse of security guards by their employers who continue to make huge amounts of money.Employers must know that they cannot just abuse workers and expect no resistance,” Kwedhi said.”I call upon all security guards to withdraw their labour today for it is in their best interests in the long run to stand united.”He said they would not be intimidated by letters of dismissal.”Some employers have written intimidating letters to employees threatening that they would deal with them accordingly if they join the strike tomorrow but this will not work,” he claimed.The Secretary General of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), Evilastus Kaaronda, said the umbrella union supported the strike call by Natau and the Security Guards and Watchmen Union (NASGWU). “The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) fully supports the call by both Natau and NASGWU as representative unions of the employees employed by this notorious sector to institute measures that would ensure that every employee in this sector withholds his or her labour come Tuesday, August 14 2007,” Kaaronda said.Meanwhile, the Labour Commission has advised both parties to settle their dispute through conciliation and not through industrial action before a conciliation board had failed to resolve the dispute.In the meantime, some security companies have sent salary increase proposals and are willing to negotiate with the unions, but there has been no response.According to the unions, security guards are paid a starvation wage of N$2,09 an hour for a 12-hour shift, which amounts to N$25 a day.The Security Association of Namibia (SAN) made an offer of N$27,25 per shift, whereas the unions proposed N$3,90 per hour, which amounts to N$46,80 per shift.Kaaronda said the NUNW would also embark on a national campaign to get Government and private companies to boycott security companies that treated guards unfairly.