Security union proposes N$20 per hour wage
KEETMANSHOOP – The organiser of the Keetmanshoop branch of the Namibia Independent Security Union (NISU), Lukas Moyyo, proposed that the minimum wage for security guards should be increased from N$10 per hour to at least N$20 per hour.
Moyyo, who was speaking at the minimum wage public hearing here on Thursday, said the working hours for security guards should also be reduced from 12 to nine hours, and that any extra hour or hours an employee works should be considered overtime.
Moyyo said although there is a minimum wage set in the industry, many security companies do not pay employees that minimum wage.
“With these tactics employers are playing, at the end of the day our brothers and sisters are paid little. They are also given more leave days so that they cannot be paid overtime. Transportation of employees to and from work should be a must, for example here in Keetmanshoop, all companies, except one, do not offer transportation for their employees, and these people have to walk for hours to their duty stations,” he stressed.
He said once the minimum wage is put in place, it should be adjusted at least every second year.
“You cannot say you will adjust only after five years. The economy might do well for two years, but after that it might turn, and employees will not be able to afford the cost of living. I think the wages commission should give the employers at least three months’ notice before they can adjust the salaries,” stressed Moyyo.
Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) Keetmanshoop branch organiser Rosalia Albert proposed that workers in the hospitality and tourism sectors should have a fixed salary of N$3 000 per month, while retail employees should get at least N$6 000.
Albert further said in the meat industry, employees should have a N$7 000 monthly salary while in the agricultural sector, seasonal workers should receive N$4 969 monthly and permanent employees should get N$5 405.
“This is what our members feel should be the minimum wage, and this is only for the general workers. We also propose a N$2 000 housing allowance across the board, and employers should provide transport,” she said.
The commission started with public hearings on the proposed national minimum wage and related supplementary terms and conditions of employment in March this year.
It aims to investigate what could be the minimum wage in every sector in the country, and how the minimum wage could be implemented and enforced.