TRANSNAMIB rail freight and passenger services were brought to a halt on Tuesday after drivers, their assistants and shunters embarked on an illegal strike over a salary increase dispute.
The spokesperson of the striking workers, Siegfried Albertus Gawaseb, said the parastatal’s failure to respond to their demand for a salary hike by the 9 November deadline had triggered the industrial action.
Gawaseb said the workers want a basic monthly salary of N$19 000, housing allowance of N$6 000 and inconvenience allowances to be calculated at 20% of their salaries.
“We are the most underpaid workers,” said Gawaseb.
According to Gawaseb, the drivers receive salaries ranging between N$9 000 and N$12 500.
In an internal memorandum issued yesterday, TransNamib acting human capital executive Mike Wamunyima told the striking workers that the company was left with no choice but to seek recourse with the labour court to end the industrial action he described as illegal.
“We reiterated that the present strike is illegal and unprotected and strongly advised all those involved to immediately stop such action and in such event to immediately advise the supervisor to approach the labour court,” the memorandum reads in part.
In a media statement issued yesterday, the parastatal’s executive spokesperson, Struggle Ihuhua, warned that the non-adherence to company policies and procedures and/or the Labour Act by TransNamib staff such as instigating or participating in an illegal strike would attract serious disciplinary charges which, if one is found guilty, is a dismissible offence.
“Management wishes to humbly request all employees, directly or indirectly, involved in all forms of illegal actions and strikes to refrain from such actions and without delay return to work to raise their concerns through the existing channels and in line with our company policies and procedures,” Ihuhua added.
The workers vowed not to budge whether the strike is ‘illegal or not’ until the parastatal meets their demands.
Rail freight is TransNamib’s core business.
Recently, the parastatal agreed to purchase 90 sulphuric acid rail tankers worth US$10 million from China Railway Materials (CRM) Hong Kong.
The tankers were to be used to fulfil the 10-year sulphuric acid rail transport agreement worth billions of dollars that TransNamib entered with Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb.
The national carrier also transports fuel from the port of Walvis Bay to different destinations in the country.
Observers believe that if the ongoing strike is not ended soon, it may result in fuel shortages in many parts of the country.
luqman@namibian.com.na
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