Nearly 90 employees of the Outjo Municipality in the Kunene Region on Wednesday staged a peaceful demonstration calling for improved working conditions.

During their street march which started at the Etoshapoort township, the employees chanted slogans saying they have been working for the municipality for 20 years and yet they earn less than N.dollars 5 000 per month.

“We therefore demand a 5 per cent salary increase, or ascend our salaries to the levels of other municipalities operating at Paterson two (job grading),” they said.

The employees then handed over a petition to the municipality’s chief executive officer (CEO), Josef |Urib, in which they proposed a face-to-face meeting with the seven local authority councillors of Outjo to discuss their salary demands.

The petition also called for their salary structures to be reviewed as they allegedly last received a salary increase in 2015.

They further demanded that each general worker of the municipality be allocated new personal protective equipment (PPE) as most allegedly do not have PPE.

“If our demands are not met in the next 14 days, we shall have no other option but to call for a strike and a total stoppage of the municipality duties,” they said.

The Outjo Municipality has a total workforce of 87 employees including the CEO.

Their demonstration was supported by the representatives of the Namibia Local Authority Workers Union (NALAWU).

CEO |Urib who received the petition promised to hand it over to the management committee of the municipality.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency