MEMBERS of the Namibia Nurses Union (Nanu) are fuming after their leaders failed to organise a congress for the whole of last year.
Health workers affiliated to the union claim the union has been dormant for more than 14 months although they continued to pay membership fees of N$20 a month. The union has more than 2 000 members, meaning that the union collects around N$40 000 a month.The health workers claim that nothing is being done to elect a new National Committee for Nanu, although the four-year term of the current National Committee expired in November 2004.Nanu President Abner Shopati admitted that the congress has yet to take place.When contacted in May last year, Shopati said an election was planned for November 2004 but was postponed after the Electoral Commission of Namibia informed them that no ballot boxes would be available for the union’s use because of the national elections.He said the management committee was expected to meet in May 2005 to call a congress and that the secretariat was in the process of preparing invitations.When contacted last week, Shopati said the congress would take place sometime this month.He said it was delayed by the slow completion of the union’s audited financial report.”I have received the audited financial report.We will now start preparing for the congress,” he said.Health workers claim that Shopati has yet to contact fellow leaders to arrange any meeting to prepare for a congress.Shopati said meetings were not taking place because most of the 12 national committee members had either changed jobs or had been transferred to remote areas of the country.Yet he maintained that he would be able to table “a clean financial report” at the congress and prove that members’ money was well spent.Health workers claim that they have had to resort to private legal practitioners despite having a union that is supposed to defend them.The union was established by former Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) members who were not happy with how they were represented.They opted for an independent union that was not affiliated to the ruling Swapo Party.”We were fed up with Napwu, but it seems that we are still in the same boat.The union is not there for our needs,” one nurse said.The union has more than 2 000 members, meaning that the union collects around N$40 000 a month.The health workers claim that nothing is being done to elect a new National Committee for Nanu, although the four-year term of the current National Committee expired in November 2004.Nanu President Abner Shopati admitted that the congress has yet to take place.When contacted in May last year, Shopati said an election was planned for November 2004 but was postponed after the Electoral Commission of Namibia informed them that no ballot boxes would be available for the union’s use because of the national elections.He said the management committee was expected to meet in May 2005 to call a congress and that the secretariat was in the process of preparing invitations.When contacted last week, Shopati said the congress would take place sometime this month.He said it was delayed by the slow completion of the union’s audited financial report.”I have received the audited financial report.We will now start preparing for the congress,” he said.Health workers claim that Shopati has yet to contact fellow leaders to arrange any meeting to prepare for a congress.Shopati said meetings were not taking place because most of the 12 national committee members had either changed jobs or had been transferred to remote areas of the country. Yet he maintained that he would be able to table “a clean financial report” at the congress and prove that members’ money was well spent.Health workers claim that they have had to resort to private legal practitioners despite having a union that is supposed to defend them. The union was established by former Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) members who were not happy with how they were represented.They opted for an independent union that was not affiliated to the ruling Swapo Party.”We were fed up with Napwu, but it seems that we are still in the same boat.The union is not there for our needs,” one nurse said.
