PSUN takes up case of uniformed public servants

THE Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN) has approached the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in a bid to force Government to include prison service staff during wage negotiations.

The Police, army and prison services are not included in the bargaining units of workers’ unions and the labour law also does not allow them to strike. Manfred Jatamunua of PSUN told a media briefing yesterday that their fight against the exclusion of the prison service staff was taken to the ILO after they had failed to get an acceptable reply from Parliament, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Justice.”We did this because we believe that the exclusion was a cardinal error and contrary to all national and international instruments such as the Namibian Constitution, ILO conventions as well as the United Nations standard minimum rules for the treatment of offenders,” the PSUN said.The ILO responded by asking the PSUN’s to submit the relevant documents for scrutiny by a committee of experts.The PSUN called on the Government to amend the Labour Act to rectify the “grave error”.They also want the Government to consider including the Namibian Police in the Labour Act.Paulus Hango, President of the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna), said the prison service was not a force but a group of civil servants providing a service.”They may not go on strike but can be represented by unions,” Hango said of the Police and prison service staff.He said the exclusion was “retrogressive and must be opposed” because Government cannot decide which workers may be represented and by whom.Manfred Jatamunua of PSUN told a media briefing yesterday that their fight against the exclusion of the prison service staff was taken to the ILO after they had failed to get an acceptable reply from Parliament, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Justice.”We did this because we believe that the exclusion was a cardinal error and contrary to all national and international instruments such as the Namibian Constitution, ILO conventions as well as the United Nations standard minimum rules for the treatment of offenders,” the PSUN said.The ILO responded by asking the PSUN’s to submit the relevant documents for scrutiny by a committee of experts.The PSUN called on the Government to amend the Labour Act to rectify the “grave error”.They also want the Government to consider including the Namibian Police in the Labour Act.Paulus Hango, President of the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna), said the prison service was not a force but a group of civil servants providing a service.”They may not go on strike but can be represented by unions,” Hango said of the Police and prison service staff.He said the exclusion was “retrogressive and must be opposed” because Government cannot decide which workers may be represented and by whom.