Panic over job losses

JANA-MARI SMITH

WINDHOEK



The coronavirus state of emergency and lockdown have led to a spike in labour abuse complaints, and experts warn that the pandemic has given rise to extreme power imbalances between bosses and staff.

Labour ministry spokesperson Maria Hedimbi over the weekend confirmed that the ministry received 601 labour complaints countrywide from late March until 7 May.





































































Labour rights advocate Herbert Jauch warns that panic over job losses, following the decimation of the country's economy, has created an atmosphere of dread amongst workers.





And, despite increased official complaints, many workers will simply remain mum in a desperate bid to keep their pay cheques.







At the mercy of bosses



Jauch said fear has placed workers at the mercy of their bosses.



“Many employers feel they can take decisions unilaterally, while workers are so scared of losing their jobs, they are too frightened to challenge unfair labour practices.”



Jauch said “in a climate where we already have mass unemployment of around 34% before the pandemic and where thousands of jobs are likely to be lost in the coming months, the power imbalance between workers and employers has grown bigger”.







Fragile times



A business owner who declined to be named this week said: “What strikes me in these fragile times is that some people have become quite autocratic.



“It's management by fear and coercion, not by motivation and inspiration. Everyone is being threatened. And the last thing we need now is to create an atmosphere of more fear.”







Workers vulnerable



Jauch underlined that only a handful of workers will have the confidence to stand up for their rights.



According to the latest official data, only about 20.6% of all workers in Namibia belong to a union - one out of every five employees.



“As a result, many workers are vulnerable and have very little protection against abuse by employers.”







Complaints



The majority of complaints range from unpaid leave or forced annual leave, to uncommunicated salary reductions that, in some cases, ranged beyond the legal percentages prescribed under the state of emergency labour regulations, Hedimbi said.



Moreover, pay cuts do not always go hand in hand with a real reduction in working hours.



Last week, between 5 and 8 May, the Office of the Labour Commissioner was informed of four more cases of retrenchments related to the pandemic.



These were in addition to 543 retrenchments by 10 companies that took place between 27 March and 27 April, Hedimbi said.







Abuse



Nellie Dina Kahua said the Namibian Domestic Workers Union (NDAWU) is working on 17 complaints related to illegal labour practices during the lockdown.



Domestic workers are amongst the most vulnerable workers in the country, she said, and the union is doing its best to create structures to assist them.



Kahua said in addition to labour abuses, many domestic and other vulnerable workers are facing increasing stigmatisation and discrimination.



Some employers say they fear their staff are more likely to be infected by the coronavirus if they live in densely populated areas such as informal settlements.