The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Poverty Eradication, Labour and Industrial Relations Chairperson, Justina Jonas, has called for stronger enforcement of labour laws and better-resourced institutions to protect workers.

The committee has identified the retail and wholesale sectors as among the country's largest employers, with 66,000 workers, making the sector a significant contributor to the economy.

“I think, as employers, we have a duty to ensure that the people working with us are treated with dignity. Without that, you will have unhappy workers, and in the process, there will be a lot of misunderstandings. Why not take the opportunity to comply, ensuring that your people are happy and that the business continues to operate as it is supposed to?”

The oversight investigative visits focus on hourly wages, working hours, payslips, employee benefits, occupational health and safety, working conditions, labour relations, employment of foreign nationals and skills development.

Jonas said concerns identified during the investigation in other regions are also emerging in Erongo, particularly around conditions of employment and health and safety.

“This is giving us a massage. I think as a country we need to pay attention to issues of labour and industrial relations in Namibia; we need to stop treating the Ministry of Labour as a stepchild, and the Ministry of Justice needs to be well funded.”

She highlighted that some multinational companies expected to uphold Namibia’s labour laws but fail to comply, while local businesses are also not necessarily leading by example.