Non-compliance to wage agreements dominates Kavango East and Zambezi complaints

Share This Article:

The Wages Commission on a proposed national minimum wage said most members of the public who made their presentation in the Kavango East and Zambezi regions complained about poor working conditions and non-compliance to existing wage agreements.

This was said by commission chairperson Marius Kudumo in a weekly report he issued on Thursday.

The commission is currently conducting public hearings in various regions around the country to afford members of the public, employers, employees, employers’ organisations and trade unions the opportunity to give their input on what the national minimum wage should be for Namibia, as well as related supplementary minimum conditions of employment.

The commission is also tasked to investigate all relevant industries in order to recommend a proposed national minimum wage to the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation which will apply to all employees, except to related categories of employees specifically exempted by the minister in a wage order, and on supplementary minimum conditions of employment once the hearings are concluded.

This is meant to improve the wages of lowly paid employees, to improve individual and household income and contribute to poverty alleviation.

The report said members of the public who made their presentations at the hearings in the two regions said some of their workplaces have poor working conditions while some complained about their employers not complying with existing wage agreements.

“It is worth noting that minimum wages that were proposed for certain job categories are either not formalised or underpaid. Challenges relating to non-compliance with existing collective wage agreements, especially in the security industry, were also raised. Wages in the public service of some job categories like the retail and agriculture sector were also among those that were highlighted to be low and not contributing to sustainable livelihoods and improved conditions of life,” reads the report.

It also indicated that some participants have, however, reported that compliance to collective wage agreements by some employers has had a positive impact on their livelihoods and the welfare of workers.

Source: Namibia Press Agency