Hansa brewers protest job cuts

EMPLOYEES of Hansa Breweries in Swakopmund on Saturday staged a peaceful demonstration to protest against job cuts following the decision to shut the brewery.

The Ohlthaver & List board of directors announced last month that the Hansa Brewery will be shut at the end of October. Between 40 and 50 employees of the brewery and representatives of the Namibian Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) took to the streets to demonstrate their concern and handed over a petition to general manager, Wilco Lorck.According to Kleopas Ngwena, regional organiser of Nafau, the petition appeals to Ohlthaver & List management to reconsider their restructuring strategy, since the current plans will negatively affect the coastal community by contributing to unemployment and crime.O&L Manager of Corporate Affairs and Strategy, Dixon Norval, said the petition reaches further than current events concerning Hansa Breweries – it is an appeal to the entire O&L group of companies to limit job cuts as far as possible.Norval gave the assurance that the restructuring was being done in a transparent way and detailed discussions with Nafau will take place in the near future.In the meantime, production at Hansa Breweries continues and Norval expressed appreciation for the positive attitude with which the personnel were carrying out their usual tasks despite uncertainties about their future.The old landmark in Namibian commercial history is expected to close its doors for the last time by late October.Around 130 employees will be affected and will most likely face a choice between early retirement, voluntary redundancy or redeployment to other companies in the O&L group.Between 40 and 50 employees of the brewery and representatives of the Namibian Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) took to the streets to demonstrate their concern and handed over a petition to general manager, Wilco Lorck. According to Kleopas Ngwena, regional organiser of Nafau, the petition appeals to Ohlthaver & List management to reconsider their restructuring strategy, since the current plans will negatively affect the coastal community by contributing to unemployment and crime.O&L Manager of Corporate Affairs and Strategy, Dixon Norval, said the petition reaches further than current events concerning Hansa Breweries – it is an appeal to the entire O&L group of companies to limit job cuts as far as possible.Norval gave the assurance that the restructuring was being done in a transparent way and detailed discussions with Nafau will take place in the near future.In the meantime, production at Hansa Breweries continues and Norval expressed appreciation for the positive attitude with which the personnel were carrying out their usual tasks despite uncertainties about their future. The old landmark in Namibian commercial history is expected to close its doors for the last time by late October.Around 130 employees will be affected and will most likely face a choice between early retirement, voluntary redundancy or redeployment to other companies in the O&L group.