SOME public service unions feel an 8% salary hike proposed by civil servants for this year is giving their members false hope.
Public Service Union of Namibia (Psun) secretary general Matheus Haakuria says the two unions which submitted this pro- posal, the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) and the Namibia Public Workers’ Union (Napwu), are playing a game.
He says the fact that the proposal was submitted just two days before the budget tabling on 22 February shows the unions are taking their members for a “ride”.
“How do you propose increments two days before the budget tabling? That shows you are not serious about the workers at all. The budget was already planned. Where will the government get the money for those increments? They know it is not possible, it is all just a game,” Haakuria says.
The number of government employees currently stands at 107 000, taking up 42% of the total annual national budget.
Haakuria says Nantu and Napwu were supposed to plan ahead and make their intention to negotiate known long before the budget tabling.
This comes after Nantu and Napwu in a brief report, dated 20 February 2023, proposed an 8% salary increase for civil servants during the current financial year.
The letter was addressed to prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
The two unions in their proposal also asked for another 10% salary increment during the 2024/25 financial year.
This, Haakuria says, may be possible as there is enough time available for the unions to negotiate with the government and to be included in the next national budget.
‘A JOKE’
Meanwhile, Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna) general secretary Mahongora Kavihuha shares Haakuria’s sentiments, saying the whole proposal is
a “joke”.
“It is as if the unions are trying to offer
their members lip service. There is no way you can give a proposal like that just days before the budget is being tabled.
“As much as they are mandated to negoti- ate on behalf of civil servants, they must do their thing in a timely manner. The whole process is a joke,” Kavihuha says.
He says the two unions should stop toying with the feelings of their members. Responding to this, Napwu secretary general Petrus Nevonga says unions and
the government have different processes. “The work of the union is different, and the work of the government is different.
That’s all we are saying,” he says.
Calls to Nantu secretary general Loide
Shaanika went unanswered.
Napwu and Nantu are further proposing
increments in benefits for government workers, including an N$7-per-kilometre increase in transportation tariffs and an increase in transport allowances for posi- tions below management by 20%.
During the current financial year, the unions are also proposing an increase in qualifying amounts for housing subsidies.
The unions are asking for a housing allowance for management cadres to be increased by 8%, and for those below management level to be increased by 20%.
On the provision of housing and medical
aid, they propose that the government con- duct a comparative study of governments in Southern African Development Com- munity countries to find the best alternative to the current housing and medical aid provision to civil servants.
‘TOO MUCH PRESSURE’
Economist Omu Kakujaha-Matundu says while the living conditions of public servants are dire due to the cost-of-living crisis, putting additional pressure on the budget could drive the country into fur- ther debt.
He says there are still many uncertainties and risks to the economy.
This relates to supply chain disruptions owing to the escalation of the Russia- Ukraine war, low commodity prices, a high inflation and interest rate environment, and the electricity crisis in South Africa.
“Putting too much pressure on the fiscus could drive the country into deeper debt and into the clutches of the International Monetary Fund and other lenders, which eventually forces the government to imple- ment greater austerity measures imposed as conditionality of further loans or debt servicing negotiations with the lenders,” Kakujaha-Matundu says.
These measures, he says, could include cutting the civil service and reducing workers’ benefits, which could in turn be more devastating for civil servants and the general economy.
He says the unions set the bar high by demanding 8%, and as they go through negotiations, they “may come down to something that is mutually agreed upon”.
In 2021, Nantu and Napwu demanded a 9% increment for members, which culmi- nated in a mutually agreed on increment of 3% with the government inAugust last year.
When approached for comment, min- ister of information and communications technology Peya Mushelenga said the government would consider the proposal by the unions, consult with the relevant ministries, and respond in due time.
