Target farms with problems:NUNW

THE National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) has welcomed Government’s decision to speed up land reform and urged that all farms with a record of poor labour relations be targeted first.

NUNW Acting Secretary General Peter Naholo charged on Friday that many commercial farmers had abused Government’s ‘willing-seller, willing-buyer’ concept and expropriation was the best option. “The vast majority of Namibian farmworkers still do not enjoy the fruits of Independence and are still exposed to exploitation, a lack of job security and humiliation.Coupled with the continued inequities in the ownership of land and wealth, this represents a time-bomb ready to explode,” Naholo said.The umbrella union proposed that Government come up with laws that would stop the high rate of retrenchments by forcing employers to prove that they had exhausted all other options.Retrenched farmworkers should also be included among the beneficiaries of the resettlement policy.”Currently they are not even mentioned in the Government’s resettlement policy document,” Naholo said.The NUNW also proposed that the Government implement recommendations contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Labour-related Matters Affecting Farm and Domestic Workers.The 261-page report was presented to President Sam Nujoma by the Chairperson of the Commission, Dr Zephania Kameeta, in May 1998.Cabinet eventually authorised former acting Labour Minister John Shaetonhodi to study the report’s recommendations and to submit comments and proposals for implementation.This Shaetonhodi did before he was reshuffled to the Works Ministry as Deputy Minister and later appointed as the head of TransNamib Holdings.So far, the only significant recommendation implemented has been a minimum wage – N$429 – for farmworkers.Other key proposals by the Commission include: * that farmworkers be encouraged to keep livestock, that labour inspectors be empowered to inspect price mark-ups at farm shops and that no farmer should allow an employee to accumulate debt of more than 50 per cent of his or her monthly cash wage; * that employers must also be compelled by law to enter into written employment agreements with their workers; * unfairly dismissed employees must be entitled to a severance pay equal to two weeks’ work for every full year of employment; * amending the Labour Act to protect agricultural employees by prohibiting the unfair termination of employment without the prior approval of the Labour Commissioner.”The vast majority of Namibian farmworkers still do not enjoy the fruits of Independence and are still exposed to exploitation, a lack of job security and humiliation. Coupled with the continued inequities in the ownership of land and wealth, this represents a time-bomb ready to explode,” Naholo said. The umbrella union proposed that Government come up with laws that would stop the high rate of retrenchments by forcing employers to prove that they had exhausted all other options. Retrenched farmworkers should also be included among the beneficiaries of the resettlement policy. “Currently they are not even mentioned in the Government’s resettlement policy document,” Naholo said. The NUNW also proposed that the Government implement recommendations contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Labour-related Matters Affecting Farm and Domestic Workers. The 261-page report was presented to President Sam Nujoma by the Chairperson of the Commission, Dr Zephania Kameeta, in May 1998. Cabinet eventually authorised former acting Labour Minister John Shaetonhodi to study the report’s recommendations and to submit comments and proposals for implementation. This Shaetonhodi did before he was reshuffled to the Works Ministry as Deputy Minister and later appointed as the head of TransNamib Holdings. So far, the only significant recommendation implemented has been a minimum wage – N$429 – for farmworkers. Other key proposals by the Commission include: * that farmworkers be encouraged to keep livestock, that labour inspectors be empowered to inspect price mark-ups at farm shops and that no farmer should allow an employee to accumulate debt of more than 50 per cent of his or her monthly cash wage; * that employers must also be compelled by law to enter into written employment agreements with their workers; * unfairly dismissed employees must be entitled to a severance pay equal to two weeks’ work for every full year of employment; * amending the Labour Act to protect agricultural employees by prohibiting the unfair termination of employment without the prior approval of the Labour Commissioner.