Catherine Sasman
4 September 2008
Windhoek — TransNamib workers went on strike yesterday, after the Ministry of Works and Transport failed to respond to their demands by noon yesterday.
The Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) met with the parastatal's management yesterday to jointly identify essential services of the national transport sector that should remain untouched by the strike.
By yesterday afternoon, general secretary of Natau, John Kwedhi, said it was agreed that trains currently on tracks would be allowed to reach their final destinations, but that the trains would not be allowed to move after that.
"TransNamib workers are out in full swing," Kwedhi said.
Workers demanded feedback from the ministry by 17h00 on Tuesday.
They demanded that the parastatal's Chief Executive Officer, Titus Haimbili, be reinstated after he was unceremoniously put on "special leave" at the newly elected board's first meeting, for alleged irregularities.
Haimbili is yet to be informed of the allegations levelled against him and board chairperson, Festus Lameck, has repeatedly said the allegations would be revealed in due course.
Another demand is that the newly elected board be removed.
The workers further demanded a presidential commission of inquiry to investigate the company, as well as the purchasing of Chinese locomotives.
By yesterday afternoon, the ministry still did not have a response.
Deputy Minister of Works and Transport, Paul Smit, who received the petition from the workers on Tuesday, said he could not comment until he has received all the facts of the investigating team constituted to look into the allegations against Haimbili.
A response could be expected by today or Friday, Smit's office indicated.
The strike, Kwedhi said, is indefinite, "until we receive a satisfactory response from the ministry".
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