Guards’ strike put on hold

A PLANNED nationwide strike by security guards over poor wages was called off at the eleventh hour yesterday.

It has been put on hold for now, union officials said. The Namibian Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Natau) and the Namibia Security Guards and Watchmen Union (NASGWU) said that they had decided to follow the advice of the Labour Commissioner and settle their salary dispute by applying for a conciliation board to be established.In Windhoek, security guards from across the capital had gathered at an open field outside the Katutura Youth Centre at a round 06h00 yesterday, ready to strike, only to be told that the action had been put on hold.The guards were told that the union had taken the matter to a conciliation board for arbitration and that they should return to work until further notice.Most of the security guards were not pleased with this turn of events.”They should have just allowed us to strike, then they can continue with their negotiations later.Striking is the only way for our employers to take us seriously,” one of the guards said.Another guard said it was important for employers to realise that they too had families to support.”These people need to take us seriously.We are not only doing this for the sake of money, it is also for our safety.We have children who have basic needs like education.How do we ensure a better future for our children with a N$700 salary per month,” he said.The Secretary General of Natau, John Kwedhi, said although they would not back down from the original demand of a 15 per cent increase, all matters concerning the dispute had now been left in the hands of the Labour Commissioner.It could not be established yesterday how long the arbitration will take.”The demands are still the same and we are urging the security guards and employers to withdraw their ill-thought resolutions, which are clearly disregarding the contributions the security employees have made to this sector,” Kwedhi said.”Whether the strike will be withdrawn or not will depend on the outcome of the conciliation board,” he added.However, Kwedhi said there had been some positive outcome – ?ve security companies had offered to give their employees a salary increase of 15 per cent at the beginning of September.Security guards were poised to go on strike yesterday after negotiations between the Security Association of Namibia and the two unions broke down last week.The guards are demanding N$3,90 per shift, compared to the N$2,10 they earn at the moment.The Namibian Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Natau) and the Namibia Security Guards and Watchmen Union (NASGWU) said that they had decided to follow the advice of the Labour Commissioner and settle their salary dispute by applying for a conciliation board to be established.In Windhoek, security guards from across the capital had gathered at an open field outside the Katutura Youth Centre at a round 06h00 yesterday, ready to strike, only to be told that the action had been put on hold.The guards were told that the union had taken the matter to a conciliation board for arbitration and that they should return to work until further notice.Most of the security guards were not pleased with this turn of events.”They should have just allowed us to strike, then they can continue with their negotiations later.Striking is the only way for our employers to take us seriously,” one of the guards said.Another guard said it was important for employers to realise that they too had families to support.”These people need to take us seriously.We are not only doing this for the sake of money, it is also for our safety.We have children who have basic needs like education.How do we ensure a better future for our children with a N$700 salary per month,” he said.The Secretary General of Natau, John Kwedhi, said although they would not back down from the original demand of a 15 per cent increase, all matters concerning the dispute had now been left in the hands of the Labour Commissioner.It could not be established yesterday how long the arbitration will take.”The demands are still the same and we are urging the security guards and employers to withdraw their ill-thought resolutions, which are clearly disregarding the contributions the security employees have made to this sector,” Kwedhi said.”Whether the strike will be withdrawn or not will depend on the outcome of the conciliation board,” he added.However, Kwedhi said there had been some positive outcome – ?ve security companies had offered to give their employees a salary increase of 15 per cent at the beginning of September.Security guards were poised to go on strike yesterday after negotiations between the Security Association of Namibia and the two unions broke down last week.The guards are demanding N$3,90 per shift, compared to the N$2,10 they earn at the moment.