Operations normal at airliner

A sigh of relief came to the national airline’s passengers, suppliers, partners and stakeholders when the impending industrial action which was to be taken by airline workers, fizzled out when a concensus was reached between Air Namibia and the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (NATAU).
The dispute between Air Namibia and NATAU was concluded and notification of the cancellation of the industrial action was noted during the signing of the agreement between the Acting Managing Director on behalf of Air Namibia, Rene Gsponer and the union General Secretary on behalf of NATAU, John Kwedhi on Wednesday. This agreement sees operations continue normally.
After several engagements had taken place, the proposed salary adjustment will be 9% for employees in the A-band, 7.25% for the B-band and 7% for the C-band. Last year the salary increment was 6.4% across all segments.

The agreement states “The payment of the difference in percentage already received (6.4%) as indicated will be backdated with that which is due, and paid as back pay from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014. Payment in this regard will be effected with the March 2014 salaries.”
The agreement also stipulates that the increment agreed upon would exclude those previously employed on a temporary basis and those who were recently appointed on long term contracts. However, these individuals will be eligible for the 2014 increments.
As for the additional increment it was agreed that “it would be calculated on total cost to company and the cash component of the increment (excluding the employment benefits) shall be applied.” Head of Corporate Communications at Air Namibia, Paulus Nakawa, issued a statement saying, “The positive outcome of the negotiations is testament to a renewed vision and commitment to the success of our national airline. All parties engaged extensively to find amicable solutions to the matter at hand, taking into account the challenges the airline faces for continued sustainability.”