Employees of Beefcor at Okahandja handed over a petition to the company management, calling on the company to halt the intended retrenchment of over 300 employees.

The company, in a notice issued to the employees on 5 October, gave notice of the retrenchment, which it said was necessitated by a stoppage in production due to the Foot and Mouth (FMD) disease outbreak.

The workers condemned the retrenchment, expressing that the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak might be a temporary setback for the company, while the retrenchment will have a permanent effect on the employees' livelihood. 

They said the company is allowed to continue slaughter with approved feedlots and can do business domestically.

Group Spokesperson Kalutere Mayila explained.

"The EU ban is a temporary restriction, and while the government is negotiating the release of meat produced before 23 September 2026, when FMD was declared in Namibia, retrenchment may not be justified. Furthermore, according to the notice issued to the affected employees, the company failed to follow the Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle in the anticipated retrenchment process. The company also failed to disclose the criteria used to identify the employees targeted for retrenchment."

Beefcor employee George Nkotongo expressed his frustrations.

"We have already worked for almost a year, and now the company is telling us that no bonuses will be paid in December this year due to the FMD outbreak. If the company is not being fully transparent about its financial position, then it should produce an audited financial report to substantiate its claims."

The workers demanded the immediate withdrawal of the pending retrenchment until the matter is resolved. 

The affected employees have warned that, should the company proceed with the retrenchment, they will regard it as unfair dismissal and refer the matter to the Office of the Labour Commissioner. They have given the company seven days to respond to their concerns.

The company is yet to comment on the petition. Its General Manager for Huma Resource, Jaco Muller, who received the petition from the employees, said he could not comment on the matter.