Napwu wants review of Katima job cuts

THE Namibian Public Workers’ Union (Napwu) wants the restructuring process at the Katima Mulilo Town Council to start afresh.

It says it is unhappy with the way the action was initiated. Earlier this month, the Town Council completed internal interviews for 55 posts in accordance with the new structure – down from the current 112.Negotiations between the council and the union on the exit packages for the retrenched staff were due to start this week – but have now been postponed until next week.But Napwu deputy Secretary General Gabes Andumba said the union’s recognition agreement with the Council had been violated as the union had not been involved in the process from the outset.Andumba also told The Namibian that the union had apparently not been involved in the selection of a consultant who was hired in March to draw up a new structure for the Katima Mulilo Town Council.”We can’t tolerate it.They can’t cut 60 per cent of the work force.We are not happy with the way the process was conducted,” he told The Namibian this week.The Council hopes to have the revamped workforce in place by July 1, when its new financial year begins.The Council says retrenchment is necessary for the sake of efficiency, considering that the council has been grappling with financial problems for several years.But the union is also questioning the method used in determining which posts are to become redundant.Mayor Michael Mudabeti said he was not aware of the latest concerns raised by the union, saying they had had a representative on the interviewing panel when the selection for new posts was done.”Everybody has been brought into the process,” he said.As far as he was concerned, he was waiting for the next phase of the process to begin – that of negotiations with the union on exit packages for retrenched staff.Earlier this month, the Town Council completed internal interviews for 55 posts in accordance with the new structure – down from the current 112.Negotiations between the council and the union on the exit packages for the retrenched staff were due to start this week – but have now been postponed until next week.But Napwu deputy Secretary General Gabes Andumba said the union’s recognition agreement with the Council had been violated as the union had not been involved in the process from the outset.Andumba also told The Namibian that the union had apparently not been involved in the selection of a consultant who was hired in March to draw up a new structure for the Katima Mulilo Town Council.”We can’t tolerate it.They can’t cut 60 per cent of the work force.We are not happy with the way the process was conducted,” he told The Namibian this week.The Council hopes to have the revamped workforce in place by July 1, when its new financial year begins.The Council says retrenchment is necessary for the sake of efficiency, considering that the council has been grappling with financial problems for several years.But the union is also questioning the method used in determining which posts are to become redundant.Mayor Michael Mudabeti said he was not aware of the latest concerns raised by the union, saying they had had a representative on the interviewing panel when the selection for new posts was done.”Everybody has been brought into the process,” he said.As far as he was concerned, he was waiting for the next phase of the process to begin – that of negotiations with the union on exit packages for retrenched staff.