Ramatex needles Filipinos

RETRENCHED Filipino workers at Ramatex yesterday refused to bow to company demands that they leave the country now or risk taking responsibility for getting home under their own steam.

No deal has yet been struck on severance payouts for the factory’s estimated 250 foreign workers after the Windhoek-based factory abruptly shut its doors on March 7. By late yesterday , only four Chinese workers were known to have acceded to the demand.Workers said they were told they should leave between last Saturday and yesterday.Attempts by The Namibian yesterday to confirm whether the Malaysian textile factory’s management was prepared to extend the deadline were fruitless.Yesterday, the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) and Ramatex management were locked in negotiations to try and hammer out a deals on packages for the approximately 3 000 Namibian workers who were retrenched, as well as the Filipinos.Shortly after 17h00, Nafau General Secretary (GS) Kiros Sackarias met with the Filipinos outside the company’s gates to brief them on the latest developments.Sackarias applauded the workers for sticking to their guns, and assured them that the union would do everything in its power to ensure that they were not negatively affected by the decision.”We support you for making that decision.We feel it’s not right for you to be made to go back (home) empty-handed.We find it very arrogant of them (Ramatex) to threaten you like this.We are trying to get our Government to get in touch with your embassy (in South Africa) or to look at extending your work permits,” he said.Many of the workers indicated yesterday that their work permits were due to expire between the end of this month and April.They added that they feared repercussions when they returned to the Philippines.The union reported yesterday that the company was questioning its mandate to represent the foreign workers, and said that they were requested to provide it with written proof when they meet today.The workers approached Nafau last week saying that they did not regard it as fair that they had to leave the country without being compensated fairly.Most workers The Namibian spoke to said they started working for the company in 2003.In terms of the Namibian labour law, some of them have between 51 and 68 leave days outstanding.The company has also disputed the number of leave days owed to them, Sackarias said.”They’re telling us they don’t agree with the number of days, they’re telling us they don’t have money.But the fact that they have been trying to secretly smuggle foreign workers out of the country shows their dishonesty in trying to reduce the cost on their side,” Sackarias claimed.A group of Filipino workers The Namibian spoke to yesterday said they, like the union and the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), did not buy Ramatex’s excuse that the company did not have money to pay them.”Ramatex is a global company.They have many branches across the world.How do they say they don’t have money?” one worker said.The workers yesterday informed Nafau of a host of problems they experienced while working in Namibia, including alleged inaccurate tax deductions.One worker claimed that the company had promised them that tax refunds for the years 2006 and 2007 were to be jointly paid back to them in July this year.”Firstly, how are two years’ tax amounts combined, and secondly how do we get this if we leave before July,” she asked.The union has compiled a list of all the Filipino workers’ grievances, as well as of those with problems regarding documentation, and has promised to take up these matters during the negotiation process.Workers spoken to said they hoped to return to their country of origin by the end of this month.By late yesterday , only four Chinese workers were known to have acceded to the demand.Workers said they were told they should leave between last Saturday and yesterday.Attempts by The Namibian yesterday to confirm whether the Malaysian textile factory’s management was prepared to extend the deadline were fruitless. Yesterday, the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) and Ramatex management were locked in negotiations to try and hammer out a deals on packages for the approximately 3 000 Namibian workers who were retrenched, as well as the Filipinos.Shortly after 17h00, Nafau General Secretary (GS) Kiros Sackarias met with the Filipinos outside the company’s gates to brief them on the latest developments.Sackarias applauded the workers for sticking to their guns, and assured them that the union would do everything in its power to ensure that they were not negatively affected by the decision.”We support you for making that decision.We feel it’s not right for you to be made to go back (home) empty-handed.We find it very arrogant of them (Ramatex) to threaten you like this.We are trying to get our Government to get in touch with your embassy (in South Africa) or to look at extending your work permits,” he said.Many of the workers indicated yesterday that their work permits were due to expire between the end of this month and April.They added that they feared repercussions when they returned to the Philippines.The union reported yesterday that the company was questioning its mandate to represent the foreign workers, and said that they were requested to provide it with written proof when they meet today.The workers approached Nafau last week saying that they did not regard it as fair that they had to leave the country without being compensated fairly.Most workers The Namibian spoke to said they started working for the company in 2003.In terms of the Namibian labour law, some of them have between 51 and 68 leave days outstanding.The company has also disputed the number of leave days owed to them, Sackarias said.”They’re telling us they don’t agree with the number of days, they’re telling us they don’t have money.But the fact that they have been trying to secretly smuggle foreign workers out of the country shows their dishonesty in trying to reduce the cost on their side,” Sackarias claimed.A group of Filipino workers The Namibian spoke to yesterday said they, like the union and the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), did not buy Ramatex’s excuse that the company did not have money to pay them.”Ramatex is a global company.They have many branches across the world.How do they say they don’t have money?” one worker said.The workers yesterday informed Nafau of a host of problems they experienced while working in Namibia, including alleged inaccurate tax deductions.One worker claimed that the company had promised them that tax refunds for the years 2006 and 2007 were to be jointly paid back to them in July this year.”Firstly, how are two years’ tax amounts combined, and secondly how do we get this if we leave before July,” she asked.The union has compiled a list of all the Filipino workers’ grievances, as well as of those with problems regarding documentation, and has promised to take up these matters during the negotiation process.Workers spoken to said they hoped to return to their country of origin by the end of this month.