International union worried about Ramatex

THE International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation says it will continue to push for a visit to the Ramatex Textile Factory in Windhoek.

ITGLWF General Secretary Neil Kearney told The Namibian last week that deteriorating labour relations at the Ramatex Textile Factory over the past year made it necessary for its Malaysian management to “get a grip” on operations in Windhoek and urgently deal with the current situation. Kearney said he had arranged with Ramatex Executive Director Albert Lim to meet him at the Windhoek factory last September, but Lim, who is based in Malaysia, cancelled.”I’m aware that there are big problems at Ramatex,” Kearney said from the ITGLWF headquarters in Belgium.”Our position is that the top management of Ramatex need to get to grips with what’s happening in Namibia.The quality of management definitely leaves something to be desired.”In a letter to Kearney last month, Ramatex workers pleaded with him to visit Namibia to listen to their long-standing problems.”They [Ramatex management] have affected our lives financially, physically and mentally,” said the workers’ petition.Kearney said while it was incumbent on the workforce to continue good production levels, Ramatex needed to demonstrate to its buyers that its products were being made under the right labour conditions.The protracted wage dispute for an increase for workers, who have not seen a change in their salaries since the factory opened its doors more than four years ago, remains unresolved.This prompted workers to again bring their plight to the attention of the ITGLWF.”Not even considering the relativity of wages in Namibia, Namibia is not a country that has gone three years without an increase in inflation.Workers are significantly worse off now than they were three years ago,” said Kearney.The wage negotiations have been dragging on since August last year, with the factory refusing to budge to demands of the Namibian Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau), maintaining that it was not making enough profit to double workers’ hourly rate.Last month, Prime Minister Nahas Angula entered the fray to get to the bottom of the wage dispute.Both Ramatex Manager BK Ong and Nafau Acting Secretary General Kiros Sackarias were said to be out of the country until later this month when The Namibian tried to reach them for comment.But Kearney said he had been in regular contact with both the local union and Ramatex to stress the importance that something must be done to improve working conditions at the factory.”The pressure has to be on the company to engage in negotiations in good faith.If you offer second-class wages, you will get second-class production levels,” Kearney said in response to factory claims that its productivity levels were too low to increase wages.”If you provide good wages under good working conditions, employees will feel it is worthwhile.But if they live in continuous fear that their jobs will disappear…”In his opinion, there was “clearly something wrong” if the factory was unable to offer wage increases after three years.Ramatex maintains that productivity levels have been below expectations since it started operating in Namibia and that it had suffered millions of dollars in losses.This is despite the concessions they have received from Government and the City of Windhoek for cheaper services and subsidised labour costs.In their letter to the ITGLF, the workers wrote that they were afraid to refuse the 50c increase of their hourly rate that the factory was offering, in case the factory used this as a reason to shut down operations.”We do not want to strike, we want to settle the matter peacefully,” they maintain.Kearney said despite fears that Chinese manufacturers would force the demise of operations elsewhere in the world when quota restrictions were dropped by the World Trade Organisation at the end of 2004, this had not happened because of import restrictions imposed by the US and EU, and it was still possible for African textile industries to compete and do well in the international market.”Our message still is to top management that it needs to get a handle on Namibia.The circumstances are right for making it an internationally competitive enterprise,” said Kearney.Last year, Government and Ramatex blamed the ITGLF for an alleged boycott by buyers of Ramatex products after the international union wrote to buyers, alerting them to poor working conditions at the factory.The ITGLF did not press buyers to boycott products, but rather impressed on major brands that it was important for their products to be made under favourable labour conditions.Kearney said he had arranged with Ramatex Executive Director Albert Lim to meet him at the Windhoek factory last September, but Lim, who is based in Malaysia, cancelled.”I’m aware that there are big problems at Ramatex,” Kearney said from the ITGLWF headquarters in Belgium.”Our position is that the top management of Ramatex need to get to grips with what’s happening in Namibia.The quality of management definitely leaves something to be desired.”In a letter to Kearney last month, Ramatex workers pleaded with him to visit Namibia to listen to their long-standing problems.”They [Ramatex management] have affected our lives financially, physically and mentally,” said the workers’ petition.Kearney said while it was incumbent on the workforce to continue good production levels, Ramatex needed to demonstrate to its buyers that its products were being made under the right labour conditions.The protracted wage dispute for an increase for workers, who have not seen a change in their salaries since the factory opened its doors more than four years ago, remains unresolved. This prompted workers to again bring their plight to the attention of the ITGLWF.”Not even considering the relativity of wages in Namibia, Namibia is not a country that has gone three years without an increase in inflation.Workers are significantly worse off now than they were three years ago,” said Kearney.The wage negotiations have been dragging on since August last year, with the factory refusing to budge to demands of the Namibian Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau), maintaining that it was not making enough profit to double workers’ hourly rate.Last month, Prime Minister Nahas Angula entered the fray to get to the bottom of the wage dispute.Both Ramatex Manager BK Ong and Nafau Acting Secretary General Kiros Sackarias were said to be out of the country until later this month when The Namibian tried to reach them for comment.But Kearney said he had been in regular contact with both the local union and Ramatex to stress the importance that something must be done to improve working conditions at the factory.”The pressure has to be on the company to engage in negotiations in good faith.If you offer second-class wages, you will get second-class production levels,” Kearney said in response to factory claims that its productivity levels were too low to increase wages.”If you provide good wages under good working conditions, employees will feel it is worthwhile.But if they live in continuous fear that their jobs will disappear…”In his opinion, there was “clearly something wrong” if the factory was unable to offer wage increases after three years.Ramatex maintains that productivity levels have been below expectations since it started operating in Namibia and that it had suffered millions of dollars in losses.This is despite the concessions they have received from Government and the City of Windhoek for cheaper services and subsidised labour costs.In their letter to the ITGLF, the workers wrote that they were afraid to refuse the 50c increase of their hourly rate that the factory was offering, in case the factory used this as a reason to shut down operations.”We do not want to strike, we want to settle the matter peacefully,” they maintain.Kearney said despite fears that Chinese manufacturers would force the demise of operations elsewhere in the world when quota restrictions were dropped by the World Trade Organisation at the end of 2004, this had not happened because of import restrictions imposed by the US and EU, and it was still possible for African textile industries to compete and do well in the international market.”Our message still is to top management that it needs to get a handle on Namibia.The circumstances are right for making it an internationally competitive enterprise,” said Kearney.Last year, Government and Ramatex blamed the ITGLF for an alleged boycott by buyers of Ramatex products after the international union wrote to buyers, alerting them to poor working conditions at the factory.The ITGLF did not press buyers to boycott products, but rather impressed on major brands that it was important for their products to be made under favourable labour conditions.