NHE workers protest

SOME disgruntled National Housing Enterprise (NHE) workers staged a demonstration yesterday, accusing management of backtracking on agreed salary increases.

The lunchtime demonstration by about 30 placard-waving workers came hardly an hour after a failed meeting between workers’ representatives and the NHE’s Chief Executive Officer, Mike Kavekotora. Workers accused management of negotiating in bad faith, insisting the NHE was bound by an earlier agreement to award them salary increases.Donald Tjikune, one of the workers’ representatives, said management was acting in bad faith, leaving them with no option but to take to the streets.”The chief executive officer simply walked out of the meeting, saying the company could not award us the increases,” said Tjikune.The workers say in terms of the earlier agreement, the NHE undertook to raise their salaries by between 8,5 per cent and 15 per cent, depending on the job grade, backdated to June last year.In addition, the workers were demanding a N$821 transport allowance for staff based at the NHE headquarters in Eros and N$511 for the rest.The workers also accused top managers of “milking” the parastatal and losing key focus; that of providing accommodation to the needy.For example, the workers’ representatives claimed that the CEO received between N$13 000 and N$16 000 a month as car allowance.Jonathan Sam, a public relations officer with the NHE, dismissed the allegations, saying Kavekotora had, in fact, called a meeting with the workers yesterday and informed them that the board had approved an average six per cent increase as opposed to the 9,3 per cent demanded by the workers.Sam said the chief executive officer was to go back to the board seeking approval for the demanded salary adjustments.”The only thing is that some members of the board were out of town, so the chief executive could not get the approval,” added the public relations official.Sam said once the approval was granted, the money would be paid.”That should not take more than a day,” he said.Workers accused management of negotiating in bad faith, insisting the NHE was bound by an earlier agreement to award them salary increases.Donald Tjikune, one of the workers’ representatives, said management was acting in bad faith, leaving them with no option but to take to the streets.”The chief executive officer simply walked out of the meeting, saying the company could not award us the increases,” said Tjikune.The workers say in terms of the earlier agreement, the NHE undertook to raise their salaries by between 8,5 per cent and 15 per cent, depending on the job grade, backdated to June last year.In addition, the workers were demanding a N$821 transport allowance for staff based at the NHE headquarters in Eros and N$511 for the rest.The workers also accused top managers of “milking” the parastatal and losing key focus; that of providing accommodation to the needy.For example, the workers’ representatives claimed that the CEO received between N$13 000 and N$16 000 a month as car allowance.Jonathan Sam, a public relations officer with the NHE, dismissed the allegations, saying Kavekotora had, in fact, called a meeting with the workers yesterday and informed them that the board had approved an average six per cent increase as opposed to the 9,3 per cent demanded by the workers.Sam said the chief executive officer was to go back to the board seeking approval for the demanded salary adjustments.”The only thing is that some members of the board were out of town, so the chief executive could not get the approval,” added the public relations official.Sam said once the approval was granted, the money would be paid.”That should not take more than a day,” he said.