Justice and Labour Relations Minister Wise Immanuel said there must be an improvement in the ministry's turnaround time in its various processes.

Senior leaders of the Justice and Labour Ministry are at Swakopmund, formulating a 5-year strategic plan.

The minister opened the five-day event with emphasis on the turnaround time of various services provided to the public.

The public complained in the past about delays in labour arbitration.

"The turnaround time in terms of how long it takes us to formulate a law, and the turnaround time in terms of how long it takes us to give an award from the office of the labour commissioner. It cannot be correct; it cannot be that we have employees who are waiting for month after month, for awards, and as they wait for that, their livelihoods are disrupted, and the tail of the dependent is in a worse position."

Immanuel urged the labour inspection department to step up its operations. 

"It cannot be correct that we pick up things from social media as we await instruction from our supervisors to attend to those matters. No, it cannot be. Community courts must be given the necessary space. I'm therefore optimistic that in the formulation of your strategic plan, you have located the value proposition for each customer segment that you are serving as a directorate."

The minister stressed that whatever policy has not worked in the past should be abandoned, while those that were 70% successful should be retained and improved.

Managers who are still stuck in the traditions of the past were cautioned to embrace innovation or face conflict with the minister. 

Executive Director Nghidinua Daniel highlighted the various issues that the event is focused on, including changing outdated laws that hinder progress.

To drive performance, the minister advocated for performance management contracts for all senior leaders.