THE charcoal sector in Namibia, which produces charcoal from invading bush species and provides jobs to over 4 000 people, will come under close scrutiny by the Namibia Farmworkers’ Union (Nafwu) over the next few weeks.
‘They tell us they employ about 4 500 people but when we go into the bush to look up these workers we do not find them,’ Nafwu General Secretary Alfred Angula told reporters on Wednesday. Nafwu teams will visit charcoal production sites over the next few weeks, he said. The fairly new industry in Namibia has caused Nafwu several headaches in the past years, as the union complained about low pay for workers, bad working conditions and a lack of protective clothing.’The sector rakes in about N$250 million annually through sales and exports of charcoal and Nafwu is of the opinion that those operators who do not comply with the Labour Act should not get a charcoal licence,’ Angula said.’We are also aware that charcoal exported to South Africa gets packed there and brought back to Namibia, this could and should be done here. The town of Otavi could be turned into a packaging centre, as most charcoal activities happen on land in the vicinity of Otavi, Outjo, Grootfontein or Tsumeb,’ Angula added.Nafwu on Tuesday concluded negotiations on wage increases for charcoal workers. ‘We are happy about the negotiation process and it is envisaged to sign the agreement on July 12,’ the Nafwu General Secretary said.
