In an effort to equip shop stewards with the necessary skills to protect employees' rights at the workplace, the Namibia Food And Allied Workers Union concluded a two-day training workshop with workers' representatives from the Hardap and ||Kharas regions at Keetmanshoop.

The training was facilitated by the Labour Resource and Research Institute.

The two-day intensive training covered disciplinary hearings, grievance procedures, how to appeal, and understanding conciliation and arbitration processes.

The General Secretary of NAFAU, Jacob Penda, said, "It is important for them to know their rights, their duty, and their responsibility at the workplace in order for them to be able to defend their coworkers before issues reach our office. It should be addressed and resolved at the company level, whereby shop stewards are being elected to represent their coworkers."

The Labour Resource and Research Institute has thus far trained nearly 300 NAFAU regional representatives.

"So we have also been trying to educate the members of NAFAU on the importance of solving these problems at the workplace rather than escalating them further because it then becomes a very costly exercise," says LaRRI Director Dr Michael Akuupa.

Similar training workshops will be rolled out in other regions.