About 50 general workers tasked with the construction of the Kunene Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Khorixas downed tools on Wednesday, demanding a better hourly remuneration rate. In an interview with NAMPA one of the workers, Silver Namaseb, said workers are not paid as per THE rates set in the Labour Act, and they thus demanded that the rates be increased with immediate effect. “I am a general worker and we are getting paid N$13,50, which adds up to N$110 per day. We are supposed to be paid N$16,95 per hour, which is around N$220 per day. We demand that the rate be changed. We all decided not to work because of the issue,” he said. Another worker, Alpheus Kaiser, said the rate is very low. “I will not be able to work for the rate they are offering us. For the past two months since we started in January, we are being paid this rate with promises that it would be increased. We demand that the rate be increased now and not later. We the general workers are doing most work and getting paid less than any other person,” he said. One of the sub-contractors, Steven Haikela of Haikela Investment CC, said he is in discussions with the main contractor to get a better payment rate to accommodate the fair payment of his company’s nine workers. “Once I am done with the meeting with the bosses of the main contractor and all goes well, then I will be able to increase the rate. Hopefully, we will have positive feedback from the meeting. We are at fault here and would like to resolve the matter as fast as possible,” he said. Natanqwe Hailume, the site foreman of the main contractor Adaptive Land Building Construction, said they are discussing the workers’ demands. “We feel that they have every right to down tools and I am sure we will be able to come to an amicable solution before the end of the week for construction to recommence,” he said. Commenting on the matter, Khorixas Councillor Mercia Hendricks said a meeting between the contractors and the council management has been set for Thursday. -NAMPA