City workers bemoan ‘exploitative’ contracts

Solid waste workers fear the City of Windhoek will not renew their contracts when they lapse in June.

They want the urban and rural development ministry to launch an investigation into their “exploitative temporary contracts”, claiming their efforts for redress have fallen on deaf ears.

The workers have been employed on six-month contracts for years, and said these contracts do not not offer job security or a sustainable livelihood.

Namibia Civil Servants and Parastatals Workers Union (NACSPU) acting general secretary Joseph Garoeb handed over a petition on the matter to the ministry last week.

NACSPU is an affiliate of the Namibia National Labour Organisation (NANLO).

With their contracts coming to an end in June, the workers have urged minister Erastus Uutoni to reply within five days.

Left behind

“They [the City] want to terminate the contracts in June and outsource them to individuals who are politically connected. Our late president used to say that ‘no one should be left behind’, but these workers are not recognised in this country and are left behind,” Garoeb said.

The contract workers claim there are serious irregularities regarding the awarding of solid waste management tenders, with the City reportedly recently opting to outsource the bids to private entities.

It is for this reason they reached out to the ministry to intervene and institute an investigation.

“The management and council have corrupt individuals. They are unethical and undermine the legal instruments of the City and country,” Garoeb added.

The disgruntled employees are demanding that the City employ all contract workers permanently or on a five-year contract, that it adjust contract workers’ salaries from N$3 300 to N$6 000, and that NACSPU be recognised as a bargaining unit with immediate effect.

NACSPU currently represents the majority of the municipality’s solid waste contract workers, who are deprived of the ability to plan their lives and improve their living conditions due to the uncertainty of their contracts, he said.

According to him, the workers were once employed on a permanent basis, but were later changed to contract workers "for unknown reasons".

“They, in turn, lost benefits such as pension and medical aid, among others. Years later, these poor workers have not received any salary increments and other benefits.”

Not true

Meanwhile, City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya has denied the allegations. “The City has not opted to outsource the ward cleaning services and no such council resolution exists.”

Amutenya emphasised that the decision to employ workers on fixed-term contracts was temporary. It was made to avoid job losses while awaiting the completion of an adjudication process by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN), according to her.

“A new council has been elected to deliberate on this matter and determine a suitable and sustainable decision that will ensure the interests of all stakeholders are met. A prudent approach is necessary to ensure that the ultimate decision does not burden the organisation and the residents with unsustainable conditions and financial commitments,” she said.