Old Mutual retrenchees will have to wait at home

TENSION is mounting between Old Mutual Namibia and the two unions representing six retrenched employees after the company sent the workers home on Friday.

Old Mutual put the affected workers on paid leave after a meeting between the company, the employees and their representatives – the Namibia Financial Institutions Union (Nafinu) and the Bank Workers Union of Namibia (Bawon) – last week. “Old Mutual has decided to send these employees home while negotiations are still on,” Nafinu General Secretary, Asnath Zamuee told The Namibian.”This is a sign that Old Mutual is not considering looking at other alternatives rather than retrenchments,” she said.Old Mutual Chief Financial Officer Louis Du Toit confirmed that the workers had been asked to leave, saying that this was done in the interest of the company.”We’ve effectively given them a month’s notice and we’ll be paying them until December, but they couldn’t stay in the office for a variety of reasons,” Du Toit said.He named the “negative impact” that the workers would have on staff morale as well as the possibility that the workers could “do damage” to the company, like for example authorising fraudulent deals.”It’s being made to look like we stole from the company,” one of the effected workers said yesterday.”Everything comes as a surprise.There really are better ways to handle something like this.”Bawon said yesterday that the company had failed to adhere to both the Namibian Labour Act and Old Mutual’s own retrenchment policy in the current situation.”These rules indicate inter alia that because a restructuring is not because of an employee’s fault, special care must be taken to seriously look at the personal circumstances of every affected employee,” Bawon president Aloysius Yon said.Du Toit said yesterday that the company “followed the legal framework to the letter”, having had representatives from private law practitioners Conradie and Damaseb guide them through their decisions.”Old Mutual has decided to send these employees home while negotiations are still on,” Nafinu General Secretary, Asnath Zamuee told The Namibian.”This is a sign that Old Mutual is not considering looking at other alternatives rather than retrenchments,” she said.Old Mutual Chief Financial Officer Louis Du Toit confirmed that the workers had been asked to leave, saying that this was done in the interest of the company.”We’ve effectively given them a month’s notice and we’ll be paying them until December, but they couldn’t stay in the office for a variety of reasons,” Du Toit said.He named the “negative impact” that the workers would have on staff morale as well as the possibility that the workers could “do damage” to the company, like for example authorising fraudulent deals.”It’s being made to look like we stole from the company,” one of the effected workers said yesterday.”Everything comes as a surprise.There really are better ways to handle something like this.”Bawon said yesterday that the company had failed to adhere to both the Namibian Labour Act and Old Mutual’s own retrenchment policy in the current situation.”These rules indicate inter alia that because a restructuring is not because of an employee’s fault, special care must be taken to seriously look at the personal circumstances of every affected employee,” Bawon president Aloysius Yon said.Du Toit said yesterday that the company “followed the legal framework to the letter”, having had representatives from private law practitioners Conradie and Damaseb guide them through their decisions.