Presidency hails milestone as media union is officially registered

Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari has described the official registration of a Namibian media union as a step in the right direction in the development of a professional press corps reporting on the basis of ethics and a code of conduct.

This comes after the Namibia Media Professionals Union (Nampu) officially received its registration as a trade union yesterday, following four years of struggle.

The registriation also coincides with fears of the country losing its position as a beacon of press freedom.

“We congratulate Namibian media professionals on this milestone in our journey of press freedom,” he said.

The Namibian Presidency is committed to press freedom and freedom of expression as espoused in the Namibian Constitution, said Hengari.

“In that vein, president Nangolo Mbumba will continue to champion and consolidate our country’s efforts in press freedom,” he added.

The NMT Media Foundation welcomed the registration of Nampu as an important addition to the institutions championing media freedom, and particularly the labour rights and working conditions of Namibian journalists.

“As always, our commitment is guided by the principles of the Windhoek Declaration for the development of a free, independent, and pluralistic press, which calls for the establishment of independent journalist unions across Africa,” director Zoé Titus said.

This emphasises the importance of national media and labour laws that facilitate and empower representative associations to protect and promote media freedom effectively, she added.

Veteran journalist Gwen Lister said while it has taken several years due to red tape, it is good news that Nampu has finally been registered.

“This will surely give Namibian journalists a strong voice and greater sense of community, and help them negotiate better remuneration, health cover and other benefits, while also improving working conditions in general.

“All of which can lead to more job satisfaction in this most vital sector and which will in turn positively impact newsrooms and the quality of journalism in the public interest,” Lister said yesterday.

Media ombudsman John Nakuta described the development as an early Christmas present for media workers.

“Congratulations to those who persisted in their call to get the union registered,” Nakuta noted.

Founding member Johnathan Beukes said the registration means media workers can now organise themselves to improve their working conditions and agitate for improved media freedom conditions, as well as the implementation of the access to information law, which the union has been doing already.

“While we, as editors, are very well paid, the juniorisation of newsrooms happened because journalists have not been fairly compensated for their work and often face difficulty in executing their tasks.”

Beukes said he hopes this development will energise the editors forum, so that it too can start adding its voice to that of the union on issues that affect the media and, therefore, the public.

“Congratulations to the journalists who worked hard to get the union finally recognised after the labour ministry played politics with the registration for so long.”

Beukes drew attention to the country’s sliding press freedom rankings, the suspension of Namibian Broadcasting Corporation editor Anna Nicodemus, as well as the failed alleged attempt by senior civil servants to smuggle in an editor for New Era.

“It is time for the media in this country to recognise the challenges we face and address them,” he added.

In a press statement issued yesterday, Nampu confirmed receiving its certificate of recognition as a trade union from the Office of the Labour Commissioner.

“This follows four years of fighting for recognition and not being allowed to stand up for the rights of our members,” Nampu noted.

The union further acknowledged that there was much work to do.

“Nampu was launched in November 2020 with the aim of protecting media workers from exploitation and unfair working environments, as our members continue working without contracts and [experience] general abuse from newsrooms,” noted Nampu.