About 160 employees of the Otjiwarongo Municipality have taken to the streets to demand a once-off, undisclosed payment as compensation for a failed salary and wage negotiation for the 2021–2022 financial year.
The workers, under NAPWU, are demanding their dues as all efforts were allegedly met with disapproval by the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni.
Although the management and local authority councillors snubbed the workers' petition, the demonstration went ahead, with group leader Nathan Kayambo demanding the 14th cheque be paid within 14 working days.
"In fact, we did everything possible and reasonable as it could be, but the council has negotiated in bad faith by referring our demands to the line ministry and deliberately using such an avenue to frustrate us and, in the process, delay the logical conclusion of our negotiation. It is our submission today that such a violation was not only an infringement of our rights but also a serious impingement on the recognition agreement signed between the parties."
According to Kayambo, there is also concern over the council's failure to permanently employ 40 contract workers, the flawed recruitment process, the lack of a proper salary and grading system, and the absence of health and safety protocols within the technical departments.
"We demand a serious review of our salary structures in order to rectify the current discrepancies within the existing so-called salary structures. We demand that staff recognition be prioritised in terms of extra duties performed."
If their demands are not met, workers have threatened to down tools and engage in a strike as per the certificate of unresolved dispute awarded on July 27 this year.
Otjiwarongo Mayor, Kandiwapa Shivute, however, said the demonstration is illegal.
"We resolved various issues, and that was supposed to be adhered to too if they had given us time. But to our surprise, they have gone forward with their peaceful demonstration, which I am denouncing and saying is illegal because they did not communicate all necessary policies."