Maria David
THE Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations has announced that over N$2 million has been successfully recovered for Namibian workers whose employers were not following the labour laws.
In a statement issued by Ministry Chief Public Relations Officer Petrus Hafeni on Thursday, it was indicated that this was done through the Ministry’s Labour Inspectorate during the past financial year (2024/25).
According to Hafeni, the total amount recovered is N$2,062,537.78.
“This money belongs to workers who were either underpaid, had money unfairly taken from their salaries, or did not receive other payments they were entitled to by law. These issues were found in different workplaces across the country,” he said.
He added that out of the 4,174 labour complaints that were reported to the Ministry, 3,317 of them were resolved, leading to this recovery.
Hafeni said common problems reported by workers included not being paid enough, not getting paid for overtime or work done on Sundays and public holidays, and having too much money deducted from their pay.
He stressed that the Ministry has made it clear that they do not support employers who do not follow these rules.
The region with the highest amount of recovered money is the Central Region, which includes places like Windhoek, Gobabis, Rehoboth, Okahandja, Omaruru, Swakopmund, and Walvis Bay, with a total of N$722,119.43 recovered. The Southern Region (Mariental, Keetmanshoop, Karasburg, Noordoewer, Rosh Pinah, Oranjemund, and Lüderitz) saw the least recovery, at N$178,371.67.
He then assured all workers that the Ministry is serious about protecting their rights and ensuring that the laws are followed. He also warned employers who don’t meet their basic responsibilities to take note.
During the same period, Hafeni said the Ministry also carried out 1,730 inspections at different workplaces to check if they were following the Basic Conditions of Employment.
“Most of these workplaces (1,380) were found to be in line with the labour laws, but 350 were not,” he added.
He added that the common issues found in these non-compliant workplaces had to do with things like how much people were being paid, working hours, leave days, housing arrangements, and how employment was ended, as outlined in Chapter 3 of the Labour Act.
The Ministry is calling on all employers to ensure they are following the labour laws, as it is both a legal requirement and the right thing to do for their employees—without needing the Ministry to step in.
