Namib Mills locks out employees at national depots after strike notice over pay dispute

Namib Mills has locked out its workers at depots across the country after the workers gave notice of their intention to strike on Tuesday.

The workers, represented by the Namibian Revolutionary Transport and Manufacturing Union (Naretu), gave this notice to Namib Mills last week.

The company, in response, issued a temporary lockout, starting on Monday.

A temporary lockout is a tool used by employers to force the resolution of disputes, similar to strikes.

Following the lockout, hundreds of Namib Mills workers staged a protest, calling for housing allowances, increased pay, and December bonuses.

“Are we afraid? No!” the workers chanted outside the Namib Mills head office in Windhoek on Monday, led by Naretu commander in chief Petersen Kambinda.

Kambinda said all workers at Namib Mill’s depots at Okapuka, Walvis Bay, Otavi, and Ondangwa have been locked out.

The workers are calling for representation to the trustees in decisions regarding their pension fund and salary alignment between workers, he said.

“The current situation is that two people can be doing the same job – recruited in the same financial year – while one is paid N$6 000 and one is paid N$4 000. Such nonsense. We want to put a stop to it,” Kambinda said.

Namib Mills and its workers started negotiating in July last year. After they were unable to reach an agreement, Naretu conducted a strike vote last Thursday.

“The decision to implement a lock-out was not taken lightly. It follows unreasonable demands beyond market norms, in addition to early breach of authorised strike rules by the union through their actions of spreading misinformation to employees voting on whether to participate in a strike or not,” Namib Mills spokesperson Learni van Wyk says in a media statement.

The lock-out will be lifted as soon as a mutually acceptable agreement is reached, she says.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.