Swapo slams excessive force, ‘starvation wages’
The Swapo Party in Oshana region has condemned the use of excessive force by the Namibian police on Shoprite workers currently on strike over better pay.
The regional structure also called for an amendment to the Labour Act to halt exploitation in the labour market.
“We strongly condemn the use of excessive and disproportional force against workers by the police in their struggle against all forms of labour exploitation,” the party said in a statement.
The party is further calling on the Oshana police to conduct an internal investigation over the incident that happened on 15 January.
On Friday, upon receiving the outcome of the negotiations, striking Shoprite workers started accusing their union of not working in their best interest.
They vowed to take matters into their own hands, including closing all Shoprite outlets.
The workers had called on the public and Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement’s assistance in closing the stores.
A scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police, which left one person hospitalised and ten others injured after the Oshana police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
The police said it was forced to fire on the “unruly and uncooperative” crowd.
The party in Oshana said it was standing in solidarity with the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) and the striking workers countrywide as they defend their democratic right by withdrawing their labour when confronted with unjust labour practices by their employers. “We are sympathetic to the suffering of the oppressed workers and the fact that most people affected by the accumulative misery subjected towards workers, in this case, are the vulnerable youth, women and children. The starvation wages should not have a place in an independent Namibia,” the party reacted.
However, the party condemned those who are allegedly instigating the disgruntled workers to behave violently during the ongoing strike. “We encourage all workers and their supporters organised around this issue to observe the laws of Namibia and act in a nonviolent manner.”