Gwen Lister
2 May 2008
column
Windhoek — MAY Day is historically celebrated worldwide to express the international unity of the working class and this year it falls amid growing social and political turmoil in the world.
Unfortunately labour unions in Namibia seldom see themselves as part of the greater scheme of things, rather focusing their energies on narrow, national interests, possibly as a result of the larger National Union of Namibian Workers' (NUNW) affiliation to the ruling party, Swapo.
UNIONS operate best outside of, and independent from, party-political structures, as it is the only way that they can retain their meaning as labour movements.
Operating within the confines of party-political interests, wherever this occurs, can only stunt and restrict the mandate of such unions, and ultimately their integrity and credibility, as they end up defending vested interests, rather than those of the workers themselves.
The long-winded 'Workers reject unemployment, retrenchments and demand permanent and decent jobs for all', theme for the 2008 Workers' Day in Namibia is hardly likely to inspire solidarity, action and involvement and small surprise therefore, that there was minimal turnout at the Katutura rally yesterday morning! May Day provides an opportunity to observe workers' rights and reflect on achievements and challenges.
Yet in Namibia, wars, increased exploitation the world over, destruction of the environment, the growing food crisis, do not seem to be part of the agenda of the Swapo-affiliated unions, which do not seem to realise the effects these problems have on workers the world over, including those of Namibia.
'Food for all', at the very least, would have been a far more appropriate slogan given the crisis that faces primarily the world's poor because of rising costs.
Solidarity with the oppressed workers of Zimbabwe and the hundreds of thousands of migrants from that country could have been expressed without the NUNW having to align itself politically with either the ruling party or opposition movements in that country. Yet this opportunity was not seized.
Unions here too, need to interrogate whether they are in fact meeting the expectations of the workforce of the country.
The call for jobs and better conditions for labour is the raison d'être of the union movement, but literal bread-and-butter issues need to be squarely placed on the agenda.
What, for example, is the position of the NUNW with regard to skyrocketing prices? Would they not have done more for the employed and unemployed of this country had they demanded, for example, that Government waive tax on basic foodstuffs to lighten the burden of the poor? Given that the price of a staple such as cooking oil, for example, has increased dramatically in recent times, it would come as a huge relief to people struggling to put food on the table.
It is surely the duty of unions to work towards alleviating the burden of the rising cost of living for the poor.
May Day isn't really the time and place for political parties to try to hijack a day which is meant for the workers of the world, but again, the NUNW alliance with Swapo works against them at strategic times like these.
All well and good for President Hifikepunye Pohamba to address the Walvis Bay May Day rally, but wouldn't a presence from an international union have been a better choice? There are so many issues, almost too many to mention, which workers do not involve themselves in, and yet they impact dramatically, and usually negatively, on the working conditions and wages of our workforce. Take for example, corruption.
Workers' unions have paid lip service to the 'zero tolerance' campaign, but they haven't really taken ownership and/or failed to make the direct connection with the fact that corruption impacts most severely on the poor.
Stands to reason that wages and working conditions cannot be improved in a climate where corruption eats into our precious resources. The unions do need to reinvent themselves.
They need to recognise they are part of a global community and seek the direction they so badly need to take workers' interests forward in a time when a global economic conditions are going from bad to worse.
Right now, it appears as if our unions have wasted another valuable opportunity to get the masses behind them, and the reasons are not hard to find.
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