Members of the Namibia Security Workers Union (Naswu) have called for an urgent extraordinary congress following serious allegations of misconduct against the union’s general secretary, Mikka Joseph.
The call is laid out in a petition dated 9 June, in which members accuse the senior official of violating the union’s constitution and acting contrary to the interests of workers.
According to the petition, the general secretary is alleged to have withdrawn a labour dispute referral submitted to the Office of the Labour Commissioner without the knowledge or consent of the membership.
The dispute concerned outstanding back payments linked to non-compliance with the national minimum wage order in the security sector.
The letter, signed by several members from various security companies across the country, was directed to Naswu president Michael Amushelelo, demanding that he convene an extraordinary congress within five working days.
According to one of the security guards, Gottrieb Wilson, the members argue that the general secretary’s actions amount to a serious breach of the Naswu constitution and the Labour Act No. 11 of 2007.
Wilson says the members further claim that the general secretary has been colluding with employers and failing to protect workers who raise disputes.
It is alleged that he encouraged companies to intimidate and dismiss workers who dared to report violations or represent fellow employees.
The petition states that employees at several companies, including PIS Security Services, Omeya Investment, Vicma Security Services, Windhoek Security Services, Nkasa Security Services and Splash Security Services, have been affected by the general secretary’s conduct.
In the letter, Wilson, who represents the concerned group, says: “Enough is enough.
We joined Naswu to have our interests represented, not to have our union leadership act in the interest of employers.”
“The recent actions of the general secretary clearly demonstrate a betrayal of the workers’ trust,” he says.
“The petition makes it clear that should the president of the union fail to act on the request, members will organise the congress themselves and proceed to elect new leadership that they believe will genuinely represent the interests of workers,” he says.
Responding to the members’ demand, Amushelelo has called on all members in good standing to attend next week’s congress.
He urges workers to elect fearless leaders who will genuinely represent their interests, warning against choosing untrustworthy individuals.
“Don’t vote for snakes. Vote for people who will fight for you,” he says.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Joseph denied all allegations of misconduct and accused some members of misrepresenting facts.
“They removed me from all the groups and I was not given a prior notice, but I never committed any wrongdoing,” he said.
Joseph maintained that he never colluded with employers and insisted all disputes referred to the labour commissioner are still active.
“I still have all the case files and awards in my office.
If anyone claims I withdrew cases, let them bring the proof,” he said.
He alleged that the current fallout stems from internal tensions, including his decision to distance the union from individuals accused of misusing union funds.
“One of them collected money from new members and failed to remit it to the office. He was removed after being found guilty of fund abuse while serving in another union,” he said.
