Time To Be Affirmative And Act

IT’S almost 10 years since employment equity or affirmative action was legislated in 1998 in Namibia.

An Affirmative Action Act was passed in 1998. An affirmative action policy has two motivations: to provide opportunities to previously disadvantaged groups by forcing employers to provide necessary training, and second, to offset discrimination.Namibia must decide how to enforce the Affirmative Action Act, choosing how ‘fast’ it expects firms to train and promote previously disadvantaged Namibians.These acts need to be reviewed to be line with recently promulgated Labour Act.The Employment Equity Commission used these two terms its reports Employment equity or affirmative action.The difference between the concept of Employment Equity and Affirmative action is erroneously seen by some as the same concept.Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minorities or women).Motivation for affirmative action policies is to redress the effects of past discrimination.Given the wide range definition of affirmative action and the extent to which it has developed negative connotation, I want to illustrate the differences between affirmation and employment equity in table below.AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYMENT EQUITY * Is a specific practice * Focus narrowly ob putting members of the designated groups into specific positions * Can be achieved through the of the senior managers in charge of recruitment and promotions * May exist in the form of written policy followed by rote * Is generally viewed as a process of limited duration designated to remedy past * Will not itself result in employment equity * Is an overarching vision * Focus broadly on changing policies, practices and attitudes * Must be achieved through the efforts of the entire workforce * Requires commitment and creativity that extend well beyond formal policies * Is viewed as a permanent goal and ongoing process * Will not achieved through affirmative action The reason I draw this illustration is to discuss the report in the weekly tabloid Informanté ‘Nedbank stifling progress of black managers’ about two senior black managers, the Executive for Human Resources and Strategy and the Executive for Marketing and Communications.The Executive for Human Resources and Strategy was reportedly suspended for “poor performance” and I assume she was responsible for employment equity at Nedbank, the while Executive for Marketing and Communications has been sent for year-long training to South Africa.The tabloid did not provide the background of the suspension of the Executive for Human Resources and Strategy; however Nedbank is indirectly discriminating against her and the bank is in violation of the Namibian Constitution Chapter 3 Article 10: Equality and Freedom from Discrimination (1) All persons shall be equal before the law.(2) No persons may be discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status.The Executive for Marketing and Communication is offered a year-long training programme for the purpose of enabling him to achieve the requirement of the job.And in this case the bank is applying affirmative action measures fairly towards him.However the bank is not applying affirmative action measures and employment equity is overlooked towards her.I am appealing to the Employment Equity Commission to assist her with an application in the Labour Court to remedy the situation.On the companies which are failing the requirement of the Act, EEC should institute private prosecutions as it has the manpower.The current director is a former prosecutor.The Employment Equity will win the confidence of the designated groups.Talking tough is a lip service “action is louder than words”! Act now!Cuana Angula JohannesburgAn affirmative action policy has two motivations: to provide opportunities to previously disadvantaged groups by forcing employers to provide necessary training, and second, to offset discrimination.Namibia must decide how to enforce the Affirmative Action Act, choosing how ‘fast’ it expects firms to train and promote previously disadvantaged Namibians.These acts need to be reviewed to be line with recently promulgated Labour Act.The Employment Equity Commission used these two terms its reports Employment equity or affirmative action.The difference between the concept of Employment Equity and Affirmative action is erroneously seen by some as the same concept.Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minorities or women).Motivation for affirmative action policies is to redress the effects of past discrimination.Given the wide range definition of affirmative action and the extent to which it has developed negative connotation, I want to illustrate the differences between affirmation and employment equity in table below.AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYMENT EQUITY * Is a specific practice * Focus narrowly ob putting members of the designated groups into specific positions * Can be achieved through the of the senior managers in charge of recruitment and promotions * May exist in the form of written policy followed by rote * Is generally viewed as a process of limited duration designated to remedy past * Will not itself result in employment equity * Is an overarching vision * Focus broadly on changing policies, practices and attitudes * Must be achieved through the efforts of the entire workforce * Requires commitment and creativity that extend well beyond formal policies * Is viewed as a permanent goal and ongoing process * Will not achieved through affirmative action The reason I draw this illustration is to discuss the report in the weekly tabloid Informanté ‘Nedbank stifling progress of black managers’ about two senior black managers, the Executive for Human Resources and Strategy and the Executive for Marketing and Communications.The Executive for Human Resources and Strategy was reportedly suspended for “poor performance” and I assume she was responsible for employment equity at Nedbank, the while Executive for Marketing and Communications has been sent for year-long training to South Africa.The tabloid did not provide the background of the suspension of the Executive for Human Resources and Strategy; however Nedbank is indirectly discriminating against her and the bank is in violation of the Namibian Constitution Chapter 3 Article 10: Equality and Freedom from Discrimination (1) All persons shall be equal before the law.(2) No persons may be discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status.The Executive for Marketing and Communication is offered a year-long training programme for the purpose of enabling him to achieve the requirement of the job.And in this case the bank is applying affirmative action measures fairly towards him.However the bank is not applying affirmative action measures and employment equity is overlooked towards her.I am appealing to the Employment Equity Commission to assist her with an application in the Labour Court to remedy the situation.On the companies which are failing the requirement of the Act, EEC should institute private prosecutions as it has the manpower.The current director is a former prosecutor.The Employment Equity will win the confidence of the designated groups.Talking tough is a lip service “action is louder than words”! Act now! Cuana Angula Johannesburg