Meatco’s Windhoek abattoir decreases slaughter quota

MEATCO yesterday announced that its Windhoek Abattoir had decreased its slaughter quota from 430 cattle per day to 250 cattle a day.

This follows a decision by the employees of the Windhoek abattoir not to continue working overtime, the company explained. Meatco’s Windhoek abattoir workers stopped working overtime on March 16.The quota reduction is for an indefinite period, according to Meatco.All producers who are due to send their cattle to the Windhoek abattoir during the following weeks are thus informed and will be contacted individually if it has not yet been done, the company said.Meatco said the decision by the Windhoek employees follows feedback by their representative, Gustafine Murako, on talks held with Meatco last week on Monday and Tuesday regarding annual salary increments.Employees from the Katima, Oshakati, Okahandja and the Tannery have indicated that they were ready to continue with negotiations, Uschi //Hoebes of the Meatco Public Relations Office said.Only employees from Windhoek have started to boycott overtime and have sent management their demands for more representation at the salary increment talks and that representative unions are also involved in the talks.”Although their letter gives the corporation 48 hours, Windhoek employees are reminded that actions must follow the procedures set down by the Labour Law and agreed upon by the group during the start of negotiations last week.Any action other than that will be viewed as unlawful and will be dealt with as such,” said Willem /Nanub, Human Resources Manager at Meatco.//Hoebes said that the problem with union representation at the talks stems from the fact that no union now represents more than 50 per cent of the workers at the Windhoek abattoir.The Namibia Wholesale and Retail Worker’s Union (NWRWU) and Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) are both active at the abattoir but neither represents more than half the workers.//Hoebes said that the two unions could agree to represent the workers jointly in which case they would be allowed to take part in the salary talks, but until the unions do that Meatco cannot give preference to one or the other.However, according to Murako, /Nanub informed the workers in a letter that both unions could be represented at the next meeting.Meatco’s Windhoek abattoir workers stopped working overtime on March 16.The quota reduction is for an indefinite period, according to Meatco.All producers who are due to send their cattle to the Windhoek abattoir during the following weeks are thus informed and will be contacted individually if it has not yet been done, the company said.Meatco said the decision by the Windhoek employees follows feedback by their representative, Gustafine Murako, on talks held with Meatco last week on Monday and Tuesday regarding annual salary increments. Employees from the Katima, Oshakati, Okahandja and the Tannery have indicated that they were ready to continue with negotiations, Uschi //Hoebes of the Meatco Public Relations Office said. Only employees from Windhoek have started to boycott overtime and have sent management their demands for more representation at the salary increment talks and that representative unions are also involved in the talks.”Although their letter gives the corporation 48 hours, Windhoek employees are reminded that actions must follow the procedures set down by the Labour Law and agreed upon by the group during the start of negotiations last week.Any action other than that will be viewed as unlawful and will be dealt with as such,” said Willem /Nanub, Human Resources Manager at Meatco.//Hoebes said that the problem with union representation at the talks stems from the fact that no union now represents more than 50 per cent of the workers at the Windhoek abattoir.The Namibia Wholesale and Retail Worker’s Union (NWRWU) and Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) are both active at the abattoir but neither represents more than half the workers.//Hoebes said that the two unions could agree to represent the workers jointly in which case they would be allowed to take part in the salary talks, but until the unions do that Meatco cannot give preference to one or the other.However, according to Murako, /Nanub informed the workers in a letter that both unions could be represented at the next meeting.