NUNW roars at labour hire

National Union of Namibian Workers, Secretary General, Evilastus Kaaronda issued a stern warning to the Namibian Employers Federation to start behaving like responsible citizens as well as to the labour hire companies such as Africa Personnel Services that are not operating according to the law.
Kaaronda said workers under labour hire companies do not enjoy the full protection under the laws nor do they enjoy any meaningful salaries and benefits. Over and above this, labour hire companies do not by their very nature go out and create employment. “You cant just hire and fire people!”
Referring to the 7000 employees that were reportedly laid of by Africa Personnel Services since the new amendment was enforced, Kaaronda commented saying that, “did those people have those jobs in the first place and is Africa Personnel Services really an employer as labour hire companies do not by their very nature go out and create employment as they would want us to believe.”
“All they really do is place people with their clients as well as fire such people if their clients for one or the other reason do not like these people,” said a distressed Kaaronda.
He said that workers under SWANLA and APS or similar labour hire companies did not and do not enjoy protection under the law.
Kaaronda said that there should be a better definition as to who really is the employer and that is what the National Union of Namibian Workers is supporting. “As members of the Labour Advisory Council, we feel that matters related to labour hire, especially the formulation of the current legislative text under section 128 of the Labour Act were thoroughly debated and concerns from all stakeholders were factored into the legislation in a manner that balances what is otherwise conflicting interest of the social partners”
“The new definition and the presumptive clause as to who is an employee is most welcome as it now erases all ambiguities associated with the presence or infusion of labour hire in the employment relationship.”
Kaaronda also said that they are mindful of unscrupulous employers who take advantage of the current pandemonium driven by the Namibia Employers Federation to lay off workers just to teach government and trade unions a lessons.
He called on the Namibia Employers Federation to behave like responsible citizens and channel their concerns through appropriate structures. He threatened to call on workers from all over the country to mobilize themselves and start preparing for public protests against the legal challenge brought by the Namibia Employers Federation and its affected members.
“We must challenge the audacity of the Namibia Employers Federation and its affected members and remind them that they are the ones that called for the regulation of labour hire and now that it is regulated, they simply do not like the nature of the regulation.”