NovaNam dispute continues

PRODUCTION at one of Namibia’s biggest fishing factories has come to a standstill as the main trade union accused NovaNam of locking workers out.

NovaNam, at Lüderitz, was yesterday closed for the third consecutive day, losing tens of thousand man hours and millions of dollars in possible export earnings. This is in addition to the closure last week after one of the workers took a knife on the production line stabbing his supervisor to death and injuring a fellow worker who tried to intervene.The workers downed tools late on Monday demanding that the company follow the usual procedure in suspending a junior manager whom they blamed for enraging Andries David Negongo (30) into killing 32-year-old Geralda Eugenia Apollus.The president of the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers’ Union (Nasawu), Hango Paulus, yesterday accused NovaNam of violating their negotiations agreement by locking the gates to keep workers out.”There was no wildcat strike, but was an unlawful lock-out.The workers are willing to work,” said Paulus.Trouble began after Apollus’s death.Her killer, Negongo, felt he was the target of victimisation and a deliberate witchhunt, said Paulus.Negongo allegedly laid two grievances in February and November last year against the head of supervisors, a certain Aletta Gomez.Both grievances were ignored and allowed to fester, claimed the union leader.On Thursday last week, Negongo was suspended after an altercation with Apollus the previous day.According to Paulus, Negongo was suspended without been given the opportunity to defend himself.His suspension on Thursday, having already been on a final warning, allegedly threw him into a rage.After Apollus’s death the workers demanded that Gomez be hauled before a disciplinary hearing, among others for poor working relations with her subordinates.Hango said management had informed the workers that Gomez has been suspended, but refused to put up a public notice as is the case in other suspensions.This apparently prompted the workers to demand that they be informed of the outcome of her disciplinary hearing which was scheduled for Monday.They protested.The following day the company had locked them out, claiming that intimidation was used, Paulus alleged.He said Nasawu had called the Police to monitor the situation and to prove that no one was intimidated.Paulus warned that the factory was likely to remain closed until Monday if the bickering between the workers and NovaNam management was not solved.”The situation will deteriorate because management is being deceptive.They must be trying to hide something, that is why they don’t want to deal with the workers’ grievances,” he said.A company spokesperson has not responded to messages seeking comment.NovaNam employs about 2 600 workers and is one of the country’s main exporters of sea products.This is in addition to the closure last week after one of the workers took a knife on the production line stabbing his supervisor to death and injuring a fellow worker who tried to intervene.The workers downed tools late on Monday demanding that the company follow the usual procedure in suspending a junior manager whom they blamed for enraging Andries David Negongo (30) into killing 32-year-old Geralda Eugenia Apollus.The president of the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers’ Union (Nasawu), Hango Paulus, yesterday accused NovaNam of violating their negotiations agreement by locking the gates to keep workers out.”There was no wildcat strike, but was an unlawful lock-out.The workers are willing to work,” said Paulus.Trouble began after Apollus’s death.Her killer, Negongo, felt he was the target of victimisation and a deliberate witchhunt, said Paulus.Negongo allegedly laid two grievances in February and November last year against the head of supervisors, a certain Aletta Gomez.Both grievances were ignored and allowed to fester, claimed the union leader.On Thursday last week, Negongo was suspended after an altercation with Apollus the previous day.According to Paulus, Negongo was suspended without been given the opportunity to defend himself.His suspension on Thursday, having already been on a final warning, allegedly threw him into a rage.After Apollus’s death the workers demanded that Gomez be hauled before a disciplinary hearing, among others for poor working relations with her subordinates.Hango said management had informed the workers that Gomez has been suspended, but refused to put up a public notice as is the case in other suspensions.This apparently prompted the workers to demand that they be informed of the outcome of her disciplinary hearing which was scheduled for Monday.They protested.The following day the company had locked them out, claiming that intimidation was used, Paulus alleged.He said Nasawu had called the Police to monitor the situation and to prove that no one was intimidated.Paulus warned that the factory was likely to remain closed until Monday if the bickering between the workers and NovaNam management was not solved.”The situation will deteriorate because management is being deceptive.They must be trying to hide something, that is why they don’t want to deal with the workers’ grievances,” he said.A company spokesperson has not responded to messages seeking comment.NovaNam employs about 2 600 workers and is one of the country’s main exporters of sea products.