Security guard strike called off

A NATIONWIDE security guard strike set for today was averted at the eleventh hour yesterday.

Opposing parties have reached a compromise that resulted in a 43,5 per cent increase for guards. The last minute intervention of the Minister of Labour, Alpheus !Naruseb, brought the unions representing the guards and the employers’ association back to the table yesterday, after a four-round conciliation deadlocked on Monday.This had resulted in the union deciding on industrial action that was set to start today.The Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) and the Namibia Security Guards and Watchmen Union (NASGWU) representing the employees on the one side, and the Security Association of Namibia (SAN) the employers on the other, emerged from a two-hour meeting having thrashed out a compromise.The watershed meeting was chaired by !Naruseb.The agreement sets a minimum wage of N$3 per hour, up from the current N$2,09.It is valid for two years and covers the period of September 1 2007 to February 2009.At a press conference called to announce the compromise deal, Minister !Naruseb said that he initially did not involve himself in the matter to allow for all avenues to be exploited and only came in after the conciliation meeting deadlocked.While SAN was initially only prepared to give a 20 per cent increase as opposed to the union demand of a 67 per cent, the parties settled for 43,5 per cent.The compromise came down to employers upping their offer by 23,3 per cent and the union reducing theirs by the same margin.In addition to the wage compromise, the employers also agreed that a newly appointed employee would be issued with a new uniform for which a deposit equivalent to its cost was payable.The deposit is refundable when the uniform is returned upon his or her resignation.Natau Secretary General, John Kwedhi and SAN representative Johannes Kapembe called on all SAN members to adhere to the memorandum of agreement.The last minute intervention of the Minister of Labour, Alpheus !Naruseb, brought the unions representing the guards and the employers’ association back to the table yesterday, after a four-round conciliation deadlocked on Monday.This had resulted in the union deciding on industrial action that was set to start today.The Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) and the Namibia Security Guards and Watchmen Union (NASGWU) representing the employees on the one side, and the Security Association of Namibia (SAN) the employers on the other, emerged from a two-hour meeting having thrashed out a compromise.The watershed meeting was chaired by !Naruseb.The agreement sets a minimum wage of N$3 per hour, up from the current N$2,09.It is valid for two years and covers the period of September 1 2007 to February 2009.At a press conference called to announce the compromise deal, Minister !Naruseb said that he initially did not involve himself in the matter to allow for all avenues to be exploited and only came in after the conciliation meeting deadlocked.While SAN was initially only prepared to give a 20 per cent increase as opposed to the union demand of a 67 per cent, the parties settled for 43,5 per cent.The compromise came down to employers upping their offer by 23,3 per cent and the union reducing theirs by the same margin. In addition to the wage compromise, the employers also agreed that a newly appointed employee would be issued with a new uniform for which a deposit equivalent to its cost was payable.The deposit is refundable when the uniform is returned upon his or her resignation.Natau Secretary General, John Kwedhi and SAN representative Johannes Kapembe called on all SAN members to adhere to the memorandum of agreement.