Marthina Mutanga
THE Board of Directors of Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has warned striking employees that if they continue with their protest in its current form that it will worsen the financial position of the company.
Lazarus Jacobs, the chairperson of the NBC board stated that the company will not be able to pay salaries if the countrywide strike continues.
“It is very important to note that nothing positive can come from this strike as there will be no winners,” he said in a statement.
Jacobs said that the Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU) has now sadly resorted to industrial action which in the main will not benefit any party and moreover it will deprive Namibians of critical information especially during the COVID -19 pandemic.
“It is indeed a sorrowful day to note that workers chose to go the route of disruptive industrial action instead of looking for other means of resolving the dispute amicably,” he stated.
Jacobs said that the board values all employees and if things were normal they would have done all in their power to find a way to resolve grievances.
“What must be borne in mind, is that despite the challenging economic climate, a once-off payment offer was made to the employees within the bargaining unit amounting to N$7.6 million which was rejected by the bargaining unit,” Jacobs said.
This offer was subsequently taken off the table when the budget announcement for the 2021/21 financial year was made by the Minister of Finance on 17 March 2021. Moreover, all employees received a wage increase of 6% backdated for 18 months in 2018.
This current demand for wage increase is happening despite the fact that many Namibians lost their jobs or sources of income due to the impact of Covid-19 and the sluggish economy which also had severe effects on the revenue generated by the corporation.
He was of the opinion that NBC staff members are still gainfully employed with full benefits despite these trying conditions prevalent in the country.
“We reiterate again, as a board, that we still remain committed and open to finding solutions for the NBC challenges broadly. We are at this stage seized with finding funds that will ensure the sustainability of the business to be deemed as a going concern. What is in the public domain is the reduced subsidy from the government which will have grave consequences ranging from normal operations to security of jobs for many staff members,” Jacobs said.
He said that industrial action linked to wage increase demands at this juncture, will not solve the challenges given that the 62% cut in subsidy as announced by the Ministry of Finance.
The decision denotes a N$206 million annual reduction in subsidy from N$334 million for the 2020/2021 financial year to N$127 million for the 2021/2022 financial year.
