The Acting Executive Director of the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation,Otniel Podewiltz, says violence and harassment at workplaces are widespread phenomena around the world.

However, Podewiltz says this issue in Namibia is complex due to persistent social inequalities and power imbalances.

Podewiltz said this during a two-day meeting on variation and Sensitization in Fishing and Convention 190 with various stakeholders at Walvis Bay.

Trade unions should reposition themselves to become relevant beyond the workplace.

This is one of the recommendations contained in a report on the impact of COVID-19 on workers and trade unions.

Namibia, like most developing countries, was unprepared when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

A report by the Labor Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) revealed that the virus caused havoc.

Employees fell sick, and many others died.

The founder of National Mental Health Care Namibia,Cathy Kambanda has encouraged employees to immediately report any inappropriate behaviour, such as bullying at work, to management.

Kambanda believes this will minimise mental health problems among employees. Bullying often goes unnoticed in the workplace because it is a slow process of emotional and psychological manipulation that is hard to prove and detect.