By: Justicia Shipena
Three workers for the Confidente newspaper have been evicted from their houses owing to late payments of salaries, as the company only paid out December salaries last week Friday after workers protested.
In the meantime, the Namibia Media Professionals Union (NAMPU) has also continued to apply pressure on the weekly newspaper, telling tits management Confidente to resolve their labour issues.
This past Friday, workers from Confidente’s printing company claimed their boss did not pay the full amount of their December salary.
Thus, the worker had set up a meeting with the owner Max Hamata, who did not show up.
According to NAMPU’s secretary general Sakeus Iikela, workers were paid only after a peaceful demonstration took place on Friday.
In this vein, the union approached Hamata to discuss the ongoing concerns raised by the workers which are becoming a norm at the company.
“As a consequence of the inconveniences caused by Confidénte’s late payment of salaries, NAMPU has been informed that at least three workers have been evicted from their homes.”
Iikela said that threats of dismissal and intimidation of workers by managers and owners at Confidénte still continue.
Hence, the union called on Hamata and the entire Confidénte management to desist from intimidatory tactics.
“The company should ensure that workers continue to operate in a free and conducive environment with the freedom to express themselves and voice out against unfair employment conditions.”
Iikela added that they are demanding that the company’s management must find a lasting solution to late payment of workers’ salaries.
“They must put an end to the tendency of intimidating workers with dismissals, ensure that workers are paid market-related salaries, andaddress concerns regarding workers’ employment benefits,” he said.
The union has said it will take action is the situation does not get resolved.
“We will be closely monitoring the situation at Confidénte to ensure that the demands of the workers are met,” he said.
On Friday, Maria Kangootui an employee in the printing department had said the issues of salary at the media company comes a long way.
“We are getting our basic salary which is N$2 000 something per month. When you are not at work, they deduct N$200 per day,” she said.
She previously told The Villager that the company did not inform them whether they will be cutting their salary.
Kangootui said the current situation affects them a lot.
“We don’t get any benefits from this company. We worked for many years but no salary increments and they are just cutting off. We don’t even have overtime,” she said.
She further stressed that last year, every month-end, they would get their payments ten days later.
“You have to go up to the 7th waiting for your money, no notification that there will be late payment or whatever. The money will only come in when we decide we won’t work if we don’t get paid.”
Another worker, Tjirazupo Chi-chi Zemburuka had said the company did not inform them of salary deductions.
“You cannot deduct N$1 800 from someone. Maybe its change he is giving us or what?” she told The Villager on Friday.
Last month, the weekly tabloid’s journalists came out to say they had not yet received their wages for November.
Moreover, in the same month NAMPU had said Confidente newspaper was continuing with unfair labour practices against its employees.
