Rail work voluntary, says PS

SOME staff from the Ministry of Trade and Industry were up in arms yesterday, saying they were being forced to do volunteer work on the northern railway, a pet project of President Sam Nujoma.

About 100 staff of the Ministry were expected to depart for the site this morning. It is about 20 kilometres from Ondangwa on the road to Oshivelo.Employees who The Namibian spoke to yesterday said it was unfair that their participation was mandatory.In a letter distributed to staff, they were told that they are “obliged to participate and therefore your availability is mandatory”.Managers were requested to indicate which of their personnel would stay behind to run the offices until they all returned to work on Monday.”It’s not a bad idea, but just to force people who don’t want to go …,” said one employee who did not want to be named.But Acting Permanent Secretary Musa Kuyonisa maintained to The Namibian that no one was being forced to go.”It is only an issue of taking leave and working in a different environment,” he said.By late yesterday afternoon, he said, about 15 people had given him reasons in writing why they would not be able to go.He said the letter was only intended to convey to staff that they were expected to either be in the office or working on the railway.Kuyonisa said action would only be taken against those who were absent from either of these two places without permission.The letter to staff said that the volunteer work was a “patriotic gesture which would contribute to a project of immense socio-economic and national importance”.It is about 20 kilometres from Ondangwa on the road to Oshivelo.Employees who The Namibian spoke to yesterday said it was unfair that their participation was mandatory.In a letter distributed to staff, they were told that they are “obliged to participate and therefore your availability is mandatory”.Managers were requested to indicate which of their personnel would stay behind to run the offices until they all returned to work on Monday.”It’s not a bad idea, but just to force people who don’t want to go …,” said one employee who did not want to be named.But Acting Permanent Secretary Musa Kuyonisa maintained to The Namibian that no one was being forced to go.”It is only an issue of taking leave and working in a different environment,” he said.By late yesterday afternoon, he said, about 15 people had given him reasons in writing why they would not be able to go.He said the letter was only intended to convey to staff that they were expected to either be in the office or working on the railway.Kuyonisa said action would only be taken against those who were absent from either of these two places without permission.The letter to staff said that the volunteer work was a “patriotic gesture which would contribute to a project of immense socio-economic and national importance”.