Adam Hartman
13 May 2008
WITH the fast-growing mining industry in the Erongo Region, and the labour rights challenges that go with it, members of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) would need effective and efficient leadership to guide the way forward.
This was spelled out by MUN Vice President Severus Nambezi, when he addressed mineworkers at Arandis on Saturday during the MUN's Western Regional Biennial Conference.
He charged that union members were still being unfairly dismissed or retrenched because companies failed to manage their affairs properly.
He added that it was a major challenge for the MUN to have leaders committed to the cause of its members with regard to these issues.
Referring to illegal strikes, he said: "We have leaders to lead, advise and direct members on their rights and procedures on how to defend their rights procedurally, but besides having leaders, these things happen."
"Without discipline, we will fail in our efforts," he stated.
Nambezi also said that unions in Namibia needed to unite under the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) if they wanted to "be a force to be reckoned with".
"When there is an incident of labour unrest involving members of affiliated unions of NUNW in our country, then we sometimes stand aside and think that what affects any of the other unions today will not come to us the next day.
We are mistaken.
We need to unite as one force and show solidarity when one of our NUNW family members is under threat and only when we do that will we emerge victorious," Nambezi said.
* New office bearers elected at the conference: Regional Chairperson Sinvula Sambi, Regional Vice Chairperson Elmo Kurz, Regional Secretary Josephine Geingos, Regional Vice Secretary David Ipinge, Regional Treasurer Bennedictus Seroqwe and Regional Vice Treasurer Phillip Kandenge.
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