Ex-Air Namibia staff protest, demand payment

“Pay us the money, and you won’t see us again.”

This was said by the leader of a group of former Air Namibia employees, Renier Bougard, on Thursday during a peaceful protest held outside the offices of liquidators David Bruni and Ian McLaren in Windhoek.

The protest comes after the Windhoek High Court ruled in favour of the workers two months ago in an application demanding that their “total costs to the company” be paid to them.

This includes employees’ contributions to medical funds, pensions and the Social Security Fund, as well as allowances, payment for accumulated leave days and pro rata thirteenth cheques (bonuses).

The former staff argued that this was what had been agreed upon.

Appeal underway

Bruni, McLaren and Simon Steyn were ordered to pay the difference between the amounts already disbursed and the recalculated amount owed to the employees. The difference reportedly totalled about N$2.5 million.

The liquidators have decided to appeal the High Court ruling; therefore, the money has not yet been paid to the employees.

“This is a delaying tactic, and in the meantime, there are people suffering,” Bougard said on Thursday.

Deadly repercussions

According to Bougard, ten of the affected former employees have died since the liquidation of Air Namibia, some even reportedly by suicide. He said he believes the alleged non-payment has severely affected their livelihoods.

Bougard even suggested during the protest that government should pay the outstanding amount to the airline's ex-employees.

“Why can’t the government take from the budget? They have unlimited resources to pay us our money and then wait for the court case and just pay the money back into the liquidation account. Why can’t they do that?”

During an interview with Namibian Sun’s sister publication, Republikein, Bougard and some of the other former employees acknowledged that it is the liquidators’ right to appeal the ruling, but they are upset about the fact that the liquidation process has still not been completed after four years.

They are desperate for the money they feel they are entitled to, the protesters said yesterday, emphasising that they are not after any additional funds but simply want to receive what was agreed upon.

Payment dispute drags on

In December 2022, the Air Namibia liquidators allegedly paid a total of N$103 million to former staff, but the employees argued that they should have received about N$105.5 million.

According to Bougard’s statement, the employees' union and the then-management of Air Namibia agreed in March 2021 that the compensation packages would be based not only on their basic income and allowances but also on their “total cost to the company.”

In addition, employees were reportedly promised payment based on accumulated leave days and a thirteenth check. Severance packages were also paid based on the number of years of employment.

The liquidators argued during proceedings that they were not involved in the agreement made regarding the packages and that the airline's management was not authorised to enter into such an agreement. They claimed they are therefore not obligated to comply.