Tucna calls for urgent establishment of wage commission

The Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna) has called on Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Utoni Nujoma to urgently establish a wage commission that would set a standard salary for retail workers.

Tucna president Paulus Hango made the call during a media conference held by the union in Windhoek on Wednesday, where they were addressing issues surrounding the strike by employees of Shoprite Holdings since 23 December 2020.

According to Hango, the Labour Act gives the labour minister the power to establish a wage commission in order to decide on what workers in the industry should be paid.

He said such a commission would enhance investigations into the conditions of workers employed in the retail sector and set up a favourable minimum wage, which he said will drive workers in the retail sector away from the current starving wages.

Hango further noted that Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution, which deals with the promotion of the welfare of the people, says the State shall adopt policies that amongst others ensure that workers are paid a living wage adequate for the maintenance of a decent standard of living and the enjoyment of social and cultural opportunities.

“Shoprite workers are not paid a living wage and their demands are reasonable and we, therefore, demand and call upon Shoprite to meet the demand of the workers without further delay,” he said.

In response, the minister told Nampa the establishment of the wage commission is in the pipeline. He said it is one of the things the ministry has been working hard on. “We will establish it soon. We want to first consult with the public and those in the industry and then we will take it to Cabinet and then to Parliament. So yes, it is something we are working on,” Nujoma said when approached for comment. - Nampa