Wildlife Resorts reaches pay agreement with workers union after months of negotiation
The Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) recently announced the signing of wages and benefits for its employees with the Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU), as both parties reached an agreement.
The negotiations for the Financial Year 2022/2023 were finalised on 21 November and the parties confirmed the news on Friday.
As a result, the parties agreed that the basic salaries for employees in the bargaining unit, Patterson Job grades A-D, will increase as follows: Grade A=13%, Grade B=7%, Grade C= 4,6%, and Grade D=2,5%.
According to Nelson Ashipala, the Manager: of Corporate Communications, the parties also agreed that transport allowance for the qualifying job grades in the bargaining unit who are working in municipal areas and are not provided with official transport to the workplace would increase by N$222 to N$650 per month.
This would represent a pay rise ranging from the housing allowance for the qualifying job grades A-C in the bargaining unit and would increase as follows: Grade A= from N$1,295 to N$1,330.00 pm, Grade B (1-3)= from N$1295 to N$1330 pm, Grade B (4-5) = N$ 1850 pm, and Grade C= from N$1808 to N$1850 pm.
Moreover, Ashipala indicated that NWR staff members “were forced to take salary cuts during the pandemic.”
He added that besides that, benefits such as overtime and travelling allowance were put on hold.
“We had to bring in strong control measures such as staff rotation, which put immense strain and fatigue on our employees. Staff members that were promoted were not being paid as per their new grades. The Voluntary Separation Package did not make the situation any better,” he said.
“Secondly, the cost of living has gone up two folds since NWR’s last salary increment, which was in 2019. The current annual inflation rate stands at 7.1%, while the annual inflation rate for goods is estimated at 9.7%. As it stands, the twelve-month average yearly inflation rate from November 2021 to October 2022 was estimated at 5.6%,” Ashipala lamented.
“Not only has life become costly, but it has also created a financial strain on our staff. Our employee’s hard work and understanding as we navigated these troubled times is something we here at NWR are proud of. It is also very important to mention that all discussions were in good faith without any hiccups,” he concluded.
