The Otjiwarongo Municipality has yet to implement a 2014 salary directive, despite a Labour Court order to pay over N$30 million in outstanding adjustments to 20 employees.
Employees say they are owed more than N$30 million in back pay linked to a N$7 475 salary adjustment.
A letter seen by The Namibian and addressed to the Otjiwarongo, Gobabis, Grootfontein, Keetmanshoop, Tsumeb and Okahandja municipalities in 2014 indicates that the then Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development directed councils to adjust the salaries of employees in the C4 band by N$7 475. However, the municipality is yet to adhere to the 2025 court order to pay what it owes to the workers.
The letter also states that within the D band, only the technical engineer’s salary was to be upgraded due to the scope of responsibilities attached to the position.
It did not provide for a blanket upgrade of all D1 and D2 employees to D3.
C4 was described as the lowest grading category at the time and below the ministry’s minimum entry level, and was specifically earmarked for the salary adjustment.
Employees allege that instead of implementing the directive as instructed, management abolished the D1 and D2 bands and moved those employees into D3, while leaving C4 employees unchanged.
They say their salaries were adjusted by about N$2 000 instead.
Former C4 employee Sem Tuaanda, who has since retired, says the directive was sent to the municipality in 2014 but he only learnt about it in 2017.
“When the directive came, it was not introduced to all the workers. Normally when a directive like that comes, shop stewards are called and information is disseminated among the workers,” he says.
He says the C4 category was ignored while the D band benefitted.
“Otjiwarongo Municipality owes me over N$1 million. We want management to implement and honour the directive as it is,” he says.
Despite engagements, management gave no reason and some of the employees were fired.
“That’s where the battle started. We got the public service union because we wanted someone stronger. The union and municipality did not reach an agreement and we took it to the Labour Court in 2021,” he says.
Tuaanda says the court ordered the municipality to implement the directive and pay employees the outstanding amount from 2014.
“The municipality decided not to honour the directive. Up to this day, they have not responded to us. I am a pensioner for three years now, my N$1.7 million is still with the municipality,” he says.
An employee working at the municipality, who spoke under condition of anonymity, says the municipality owes them N$1.4 million.
They say they learnt about the directive in 2017 when a Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) member found out and told them.
“Since then (2017), we have engaged management several times but nothing,” they say.
Another affected employee says they sought help from the ministry but were told to handle the issue internally.
Current chief executive Mberipura Hifitikeko has only adopted the case, they say, adding that Hifitikeko is not engaging the employees to solve the matter.
The workers allege that the previous chief executive strongly opposed a raise for C4 band employees.
Napwu represented the disgruntled employees after internal engagements with management failed.
The dispute was referred to the Labour Court in 2021, and the court last year ruled in favour of the employees, ordering the municipality to implement the directive and pay the outstanding amounts.
Hifitikeko last Thursday said the matter is in court and they are working to resolve it.
However, he did not say whether employees will get their outstanding amount.
“We are dealing with it. There was an award in their favour from the court. Employees are just unnecessary. They think they will be given the money but there’s an ongoing case at court and until such time it’s resolved, we cannot do anything,” he said.
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