College lecturers feel betrayed by Nantu

THE Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) is being accused by lecturers at the country’s four colleges of education of abdicating its responsibility towards them.

On two occasions, Nantu has stopped the lecturers from striking, saying it was negotiating with Government on their demands for re-grading and salary increases. The lecturers’ demand to be put on par with their peers at the University of Namibia and the Polytechnic dates back to 2003.In May, they decided to go on strike to force Government to the negotiating table.Nantu, as the recognised bargaining agent for all teaching personnel in the country, after a week-long “illegal” strike called on the lecturers to return to their workstations, as it was negotiating with Government about their grievances.The striking lecturers heeded the call and returned to class, but after realising that nothing was done about their complaints, they again threatened to strike at the beginning of this month.Again Nantu requested them not to disrupt the college examinations that were set to coincide with the planned work stoppage.Last week, after getting the lecturers to postpone the strike, Nantu informed them that the union did not have the required number of members at their colleges to represent them.”If we do not reach the required percentage of the representation, which is 50% + 1, then our position to pursue the issue further will be weakened,” Nantu General Secretary Basilius Haingura wrote to the lecturers on October 15.This claim was described by critics of the union and even senior members of the NUNW leadership as a “complete abdication” by the union of its responsibility towards teaching personnel.”That is uncalled for.Nantu does not need a 50 per cent plus one to represent the lecturers,” said a NUNW source.He explained that the union is the recognised sole bargaining agent with Government for all teachers in Namibia, whether they are members of the union or not.This agreement between Nantu and Government entails that Nantu has the right and responsibility to represent all workers who fall within their bargaining unit, the source said.The source, who claimed to have seen Haingura’s letter, said it contradicted the Labour Act and was an indication that Nantu had failed the lecturers.He said it was also an “insult” for Nantu to call some college lecturers who are not union members “free riders.”In the letter, Haingura said because the union was now negotiating for a specific job category, it has to prove to Government its representation in terms of membership in the said category.The lecturers feel that Nantu has betrayed the trust they had in it and that the union has been busy with delaying tactics.They said Nantu’s failure to push Government to seriously negotiate their long-standing dispute left them with no option but to appeal to the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) to intervene.They wrote to NUNW Secretary General Evilastus Kaaronda to take over their case “as a last resort,” and some lecturers at the Windhoek College of Education (WCE) had a meeting with him on Friday.This week, Kaaronda said he was still considering the lecturers’ plea, as the federation could not get involved directly in industrial matters.The lecturers’ demand to be put on par with their peers at the University of Namibia and the Polytechnic dates back to 2003.In May, they decided to go on strike to force Government to the negotiating table.Nantu, as the recognised bargaining agent for all teaching personnel in the country, after a week-long “illegal” strike called on the lecturers to return to their workstations, as it was negotiating with Government about their grievances.The striking lecturers heeded the call and returned to class, but after realising that nothing was done about their complaints, they again threatened to strike at the beginning of this month.Again Nantu requested them not to disrupt the college examinations that were set to coincide with the planned work stoppage.Last week, after getting the lecturers to postpone the strike, Nantu informed them that the union did not have the required number of members at their colleges to represent them.”If we do not reach the required percentage of the representation, which is 50% + 1, then our position to pursue the issue further will be weakened,” Nantu General Secretary Basilius Haingura wrote to the lecturers on October 15.This claim was described by critics of the union and even senior members of the NUNW leadership as a “complete abdication” by the union of its responsibility towards teaching personnel.”That is uncalled for.Nantu does not need a 50 per cent plus one to represent the lecturers,” said a NUNW source.He explained that the union is the recognised sole bargaining agent with Government for all teachers in Namibia, whether they are members of the union or not.This agreement between Nantu and Government entails that Nantu has the right and responsibility to represent all workers who fall within their bargaining unit, the source said.The source, who claimed to have seen Haingura’s letter, said it contradicted the Labour Act and was an indication that Nantu had failed the lecturers.He said it was also an “insult” for Nantu to call some college lecturers who are not union members “free riders.”In the letter, Haingura said because the union was now negotiating for a specific job category, it has to prove to Government its representation in terms of membership in the said category.The lecturers feel that Nantu has betrayed the trust they had in it and that the union has been busy with delaying tactics.They said Nantu’s failure to push Government to seriously negotiate their long-standing dispute left them with no option but to appeal to the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) to intervene.They wrote to NUNW Secretary General Evilastus Kaaronda to take over their case “as a last resort,” and some lecturers at the Windhoek College of Education (WCE) had a meeting with him on Friday.This week, Kaaronda said he was still considering the lecturers’ plea, as the federation could not get involved directly in industrial matters.