Nurses to court

THE Namibia Nurses’ Union is taking Government to court to challenge a recognition agreement it has with the Namibia Public Workers’ Union (Napwu) after attempts at reaching an agreement failed.

Nanu says it represents the majority of nurses and wants to extricate them from the agreement under which Napwu represents all civil servants except teachers, Police officers and soldiers. Nanu Secretary General Abner Shopati told The Namibian yesterday that they would reveal details about the court date today.When the Office of the Prime Minister told the union that Government’s agreement with Napwu was binding, Nanu instructed its lawyers to challenge the agreement by approaching the Labour Court.Nanu wants to raise nurses’ concerns about overtime payments but cannot do so until Government recognises them.Before this, nurses have to vote on which union, Nanu or Napwu, they want to represent them.Nanu decided on the court route after both Labour Commissioner Bro-Mathew Shinguadja and the Office of the Prime Minister advised them to do so.They were told that the recognition agreement between Government and Napwu couldn’t be altered unless declared null and void by the Labour Court.The nurses had the option of a strike but Shopati said they preferred to go the legal route.The dispute is rooted in differences over payment for work done on Sundays and public holidays.The Ministry of Health reduced the rate for Sundays and public holidays by half from April 1 in 2006.Previous Health Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula said earlier that it was done because there were various interpretations of the Labour Act.Government introduced a new system used by the Ministry of Finance, with calculations no longer done manually, which it said resulted in overpayment.Nanu is adamant that the Labour Act says the rate must be double the normal hourly rate.The nurses’ union claims it represents the majority of nurses and wants to negotiate their work conditions instead of leaving it to Napwu.Nanu Secretary General Abner Shopati told The Namibian yesterday that they would reveal details about the court date today.When the Office of the Prime Minister told the union that Government’s agreement with Napwu was binding, Nanu instructed its lawyers to challenge the agreement by approaching the Labour Court.Nanu wants to raise nurses’ concerns about overtime payments but cannot do so until Government recognises them.Before this, nurses have to vote on which union, Nanu or Napwu, they want to represent them.Nanu decided on the court route after both Labour Commissioner Bro-Mathew Shinguadja and the Office of the Prime Minister advised them to do so.They were told that the recognition agreement between Government and Napwu couldn’t be altered unless declared null and void by the Labour Court.The nurses had the option of a strike but Shopati said they preferred to go the legal route.The dispute is rooted in differences over payment for work done on Sundays and public holidays.The Ministry of Health reduced the rate for Sundays and public holidays by half from April 1 in 2006.Previous Health Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula said earlier that it was done because there were various interpretations of the Labour Act.Government introduced a new system used by the Ministry of Finance, with calculations no longer done manually, which it said resulted in overpayment.Nanu is adamant that the Labour Act says the rate must be double the normal hourly rate.The nurses’ union claims it represents the majority of nurses and wants to negotiate their work conditions instead of leaving it to Napwu.