The 12 employees of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) at Otjiwarongo who participated in a nationwide strike which ended last week, received food donations on Friday.

NBC employees were on strike for five weeks and the strike ended after the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) called it off. The employees agreed to go on a strike with the condition of “no work, no pay.”

“Since we returned from the strike last Friday, the going has been tough for us,” Otjiwarongo NBC station manager Tuamana Kandjii told Nampa in an interview.

The group on Thursday decided to inform the office of Otjiwarongo Constituency Councillor, Marlayn Mbakera, about their situation.

Mbakera on Friday handed over 13 bags of maize meal, cooking oil, tinned fish and corned beef to them.

“This is really a sad situation for you. We would like to sympathise with you by making this small donation,” she said.

Mbakera explained that her office and that of the Otjozondjupa governor teamed up on Thursday to solicit the food in order to assist the NBC workers.

Contacted for comment, NBC spokesperson Umbi Karuaihe-Upi said the NBC head office was not aware of any food donation that was made to the employees at Otjiwarongo.

“But what we can also tell you is that those same workers signed for ‘no work, no pay’ during their striking time and this is just part of the consequences of their strike,” she said.

The employees during their strike were supported by some members of Napwu, who camped outside the NBC Otjiwarongo complex in Rikumbi Kandanga Street with them.

NBC Otjiwarongo provides services to the regions of Kunene, Omaheke, Oshikoto and the entire Otjozondjupa.

Source: Namibia Press Agency