Ministry takes over Red Cross counsellors

CHANGES to employment contracts in response to the labour-hire ban have done nothing to improve the working conditions or benefits of Red Cross community counsellors.

This is according to some of the 541 counsellors who have raised concerns about signing a new contract with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, without any changes to their pay, benefits or working conditions.The counsellors, previously employed by the Namibia Red Cross Society (NRCS) as a third party, provide HIV counselling and testing services at public health facilities and designated outreach points of the Ministry of Health and Social Services.The ban on labour hire in the new Labour Act prohibits the NRCS from employing persons as a third party, and it is for this reason that the new contracts were drafted.As employees of the Red Cross, the counsellors received a salary – or ‘incentive payment’ as termed in the contract – of N$1 500. From this amount, a N$13,50 payment towards social security was deducted.Under the new contract with the Ministry of Health, conditions remain the same.In a letter dated March 16 2009, the counsellors said they had expected better pay and benefits such as pension, medical aid, housing and transport allowances as employees of the Ministry.Ella Shihepo, Director for Special Programmes at the Ministry of Health and Social Services, says the counsellors’ contracts were taken over by the Ministry without changing the terms. ‘The aim is simply to comply with the Labour Act,’ Shihepo told The Namibian.’We should take note that they (counsellors) are not coming in as civil servants. We are still finalising the process. The contracts have been sent out, and many of them (the counsellors) have signed. There are a number who have wanted to negotiate, but the issue here is compliance,’ She also said it must be kept in mind that the community counselling project is dependent on funding by the United States Centres for Disease Control (CDC) under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme. Ministerial correspondence in The Namibian’s possession indicates that the contracts of Potentia employees who were working for the Ministry have also been transferred to the Ministry. nangula@namibian.com.na