Retrenched transport company employees await packages

THE severance packages for about 78 employees retrenched by Cross Country Carriers last Thursday are yet to be finalised.

Yesterday about 30 former employees of the company – took up employment with Coastal Couriers which has now taken over the overnight service from Cross Country. Coastal Couriers has now also assumed responsibility for the company’s various depots around the country.Director Leon Taljard said yesterday that his former workforce were erroneously informed last week that the company was closing its doors.He said the company had rather agreed to mergers and new management for the various subsidiaries.”We carry on.Our trucks will be driving tonight.We carry on as usual.We are still as busy as we were in the past,” Taljard said.Truck Air, which freights goods to South Africa will continue operating as a subsidiary of Cross Country, and will operate with a staff compliment of about 35.Namibia Freight Consolidators, the company’s wholesale transport arm, will now operate under new management, but will also retain some of the workers.Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) General Secretary John Kwedhi said yesterday that the union would push for the retrenched workers to receive a severance pay of 10 days for every year of service instead of the one week offered by the company.The company paid all its workers their salaries for August and a month’s notice pay on Friday.Negotiations on pension pay outs still also have to be finalised.The union has also proposed that the company give first preference to the retrenched workers’ first should they consider employing more staff in future.Cross Country Couriers is one of the country’s oldest transport services, established more than 20 years ago.In addition to a downturn in business, the company cited continual theft of which the staff were suspected, as one of the contributing factors which led to the company scaling down its operations.Coastal Couriers has now also assumed responsibility for the company’s various depots around the country.Director Leon Taljard said yesterday that his former workforce were erroneously informed last week that the company was closing its doors.He said the company had rather agreed to mergers and new management for the various subsidiaries.”We carry on.Our trucks will be driving tonight.We carry on as usual.We are still as busy as we were in the past,” Taljard said.Truck Air, which freights goods to South Africa will continue operating as a subsidiary of Cross Country, and will operate with a staff compliment of about 35.Namibia Freight Consolidators, the company’s wholesale transport arm, will now operate under new management, but will also retain some of the workers.Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) General Secretary John Kwedhi said yesterday that the union would push for the retrenched workers to receive a severance pay of 10 days for every year of service instead of the one week offered by the company.The company paid all its workers their salaries for August and a month’s notice pay on Friday. Negotiations on pension pay outs still also have to be finalised.The union has also proposed that the company give first preference to the retrenched workers’ first should they consider employing more staff in future.Cross Country Couriers is one of the country’s oldest transport services, established more than 20 years ago.In addition to a downturn in business, the company cited continual theft of which the staff were suspected, as one of the contributing factors which led to the company scaling down its operations.