Jobs: ‘No quick fixes left’

Jo-Maré Duddy – It is “absolutely crucial” that employers, unions, and government come together now in the interest of the economy and the country as a whole.

This is especially important regarding the “realisation that during this crisis, we all have to make some sacrifices and let go of blame shifting”, says the secretary-general of the Namibia Employers Federation (NEF), Daan Strauss.

“The economy is already mortally wounded and to recover will take much effort, in good faith, all-round. The one simply cannot survive without the others,” Strauss stresses.

The NEF is “attempting to maintain sound relations on all fronts”, he says.

This is “in spite of all that happened”. This includes the NEF’s initiation of litigation against government regarding the labour regulations promulgated during the first two stages of lockdown.

The High Court recently declared regulations by the labour ministry, aimed at banning dismissals, salary cuts and forced leave during the lockdown period unconstitutional and invalid. The NEF, the Namibia Employers' Association and five private companies in the safari, aviation, transport and printing industry on 29 May brought the urgent application before court.

This invoked “negative reactions from unions”, Strauss says.

“The NEF is well represented on the Labour Advisory Committee, took part in the workshop on violence and harassment in the workplace, partook in the launch of the National Labour Migration Policy, etc.,” he elaborates.

Hurdles

“In light of the above mentioned, I do not think that there are any insurmountable hurdles, as long as the tripartite arrangement is kept up,” Strauss says.

“The ministry of labour, industrial relations and employment creation (MLIREC) continues to invite all constituents of the tripartite arrangement where necessary,” he adds.

A “massive problem that has not been adequately addressed of late”, according to Strauss, is the informal economy and its gradual move towards the formal economy.

“Not many solutions are identified and this will become absolutely crucial in the near future,” he says.

Strauss also feels that the lack of real-time data is problematic.

Alleviating unemployment

“There are no quick fixes left,” Strauss says.

Solutions to create more jobs include to determine policy and investment in apprenticeship, people development programmes and work integrated learning.

Food production programmes, especially aquaculture, should be another investment priority, he says.

Strauss also suggests a re-design of curricula at institutions of higher education to better prepare the youth for the world of work. In addition, small business development should be encouraged and the “resilience of Namibia’s small businesses” should be capitalised on.

Stimulating the economy

Namibia’s economy should become much more risk-friendly to allow for creativity, Strauss says.

“We need security on national policies before any investments can be expected. We need security about the land redistribution policy, NEEEB, etc.”

Asked what the private sector needs from government, Strauss says: “More public-private partnerships, negotiating in good faith and increased mutual trust.”

From business’ side, the sector needs to identify opportunities and implement them. The private sector has to “display to government that the private sector is willing to cooperate, develop national pride”, he says.

However, Strauss emphasises: “Government has no business being in business.”

“They should create enabling environments. The private sector should be willing to help towards the national good,” he continues.

Situation critical

The situation created by the lockdown, the Covid impact and the ongoing recession is “indeed dire to the point where some businesses needed to close down while others needed to engage in mass layoffs”.

Strauss says there are several reports from industry, especially tourism and construction that explain this situation. The Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations (Fenata) and the Construction Industries Federation of Namibia (CIF) have made various presentations to government during the past couple of months, explaining the dire industry situations.

“With the help of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and on the initiative of Survey Warehouse (Christie Keulder), the NEF was able to negotiate assistance for a survey that will measure the impact of Covid-19 on business – the lack of real time data remains a problem, Strauss says.