A Namibia snack company has made use of masked, armed security operators as workers downed tools over a N$1 400 salary increase demand.
The company, Howard House Manufacturing produces snacks such as Galaxy cream biscuits, Redos and Gregoz chips.
In a video seen by The Namibian, Xiphos security guards wearing balaklavas and bullet-proof vests engaged in arguments with union representatives, who claim that the security prevented their workers from leaving the premises in the north of Windhoek yesterday morning.
Howard House Manufacturing director James van Rooyen did not respond to requests for comment.
Workers and their union representatives were allowed on the Howard House premises in the early morning to conduct inspections in accordance with strike rules, workers told The Namibian yesterday.
“When the shop stewards went for inspection, [the security] said they wouldn’t open the gate. They were locked in for two hours,” Namibia Revolutionary Transport and Manufacturing Union (Naretu) commander in chief Petersen Kambinda told The Namibian yesterday.
The hired security, Xiphos, were armed and allegedly refused to open the gate to let shop stewards leave the premises again, Kambinda says.
The company and its workers, represented by Naretu, have failed to reach a wage agreement after months of negotiation.
According to Kambinda, employees working 22 days a month earn N$3 100 with no medical aid, pension, travel allowances or bonuses.
Naretu demands for a pay increase to N$4 500 per month. Kambinda says Howard House offers a N$120 per month pay increase instead.
The union called for a strike and the company responded with a lock-out, which started on Friday at 14h00.
According to strike rules, the company is allowed to continue to operate with non-union hired labour. However, those employees have to be existing employees, Kambinda says.
“What we did is to verify [that only allowed workers are inside the warehouse]. They told us everyone who is inside are people who have been with us for two to three months. But when we went to do the inspection, we found two people [who are new].
One started today,” Kambinda says.
He told The Namibian that the union told those two employees to leave.
