Ongwediva Spar suspends 30 workers

ABOUT 30 workers at the Ongwediva Continental Spar were suspended on Thursday after staging what the shop described as an illegal strike.

The spokesperson for the workers, John Nangolo, maintains that the strike was legal because they gave notice of it beforehand. Nangolo said the workers were demanding better salaries, pension and death benefits and overtime payment.”We have asked for a salary increment of N$230 for every employee for a long time now, but nothing has come of it.We have asked that supervisors be paid a bit more than other employees, but nothing was done.We have asked for pension and death benefits, but nothing was done.We have asked that discrimination in the workplace should stop but nothing has been done,” he said.He said a petition listing the workers’ grievances had been handed over to the shop management last year.”We are always promised that our problem will enjoy their positive attention, but nothing has been done.We are now tired and want our long-overdue problems to be solved immediately,” Nangolo said.The shop manager of Ongwediva Spar, Christian van Zyl, confirmed the workers’ suspension yesterday, but declined to say anything more.Attempts to get comment from the manager of Continental Spar Enterprises, Louis Botha, proved unsuccessful over the long weekend.A source at the regional labour office told The Namibian that the strike appeared to have been illegal, but that the matter still had to be discussed by the relevant authorities.According to Nangolo, the workers will have a meeting with the Spar management, the Namibian Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau) and the regional labour office in Oshakati today.Nangolo said the workers were demanding better salaries, pension and death benefits and overtime payment.”We have asked for a salary increment of N$230 for every employee for a long time now, but nothing has come of it.We have asked that supervisors be paid a bit more than other employees, but nothing was done.We have asked for pension and death benefits, but nothing was done.We have asked that discrimination in the workplace should stop but nothing has been done,” he said.He said a petition listing the workers’ grievances had been handed over to the shop management last year.”We are always promised that our problem will enjoy their positive attention, but nothing has been done.We are now tired and want our long-overdue problems to be solved immediately,” Nangolo said.The shop manager of Ongwediva Spar, Christian van Zyl, confirmed the workers’ suspension yesterday, but declined to say anything more.Attempts to get comment from the manager of Continental Spar Enterprises, Louis Botha, proved unsuccessful over the long weekend.A source at the regional labour office told The Namibian that the strike appeared to have been illegal, but that the matter still had to be discussed by the relevant authorities.According to Nangolo, the workers will have a meeting with the Spar management, the Namibian Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau) and the regional labour office in Oshakati today.