Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The plight of security guards News that security guards are planning to down tools and embark on a festive season strike over low pay should not be taken for granted. The unions representing the security guards have threatened to spoil the Christmas holidays of security guards'' employers if their demands for better wages are not met. It is true that these officers are often regarded as objects, ill-treated by their bosses, forced to work abnormal hours and sometimes under very dangerous conditions. These women and men in uniform operate under very difficult conditions and occupy high risk jobs that continuously underpay and exploit them. The staging of a demonstration by the security guards last week is already an indication that the workers are ready for an all-out strike, which will definitely leave an unimaginable crisis. The security guards, who have condemned their shameful wages and poor working conditions, are demanding a N$12.50 per hour minimum wage, instead of the current N$7 for employees with old contracts and N$6.75 for new workers. In addition, the employers have been accused of not been seriously trying to resolve the dispute, ever since negotiations started in August this year and reached a deadlock about a month ago. We also feel that this issue is also not being handled with utmost urgency compared to the recent teachers'' strike, which saw politicians burning the midnight oil to avoid an elongated strike action. Although government officials were directly involved in negotiations with Nantu over teachers'' salaries, the current showdown pitting security guards against their employers should also not be allowed to spiral out of control considering the impact such a strike has on the economy. We are not saying that the security guards should not embark on strike action, but both sides and other stakeholders must play their part in calling for an urgent resolution to the dispute. Equally the struggle of the demonstrating security employees and their justified demands for a living wage and an end to exploitation should not be ignored.
Clik here to view.
The plight of security guards News that security guards are planning to down tools and embark on a festive season strike over low pay should not be taken for granted. The unions representing the security guards have threatened to spoil the Christmas holidays of security guards'' employers if their demands for better wages are not met. It is true that these officers are often regarded as objects, ill-treated by their bosses, forced to work abnormal hours and sometimes under very dangerous conditions. These women and men in uniform operate under very difficult conditions and occupy high risk jobs that continuously underpay and exploit them. The staging of a demonstration by the security guards last week is already an indication that the workers are ready for an all-out strike, which will definitely leave an unimaginable crisis. The security guards, who have condemned their shameful wages and poor working conditions, are demanding a N$12.50 per hour minimum wage, instead of the current N$7 for employees with old contracts and N$6.75 for new workers. In addition, the employers have been accused of not been seriously trying to resolve the dispute, ever since negotiations started in August this year and reached a deadlock about a month ago. We also feel that this issue is also not being handled with utmost urgency compared to the recent teachers'' strike, which saw politicians burning the midnight oil to avoid an elongated strike action. Although government officials were directly involved in negotiations with Nantu over teachers'' salaries, the current showdown pitting security guards against their employers should also not be allowed to spiral out of control considering the impact such a strike has on the economy. We are not saying that the security guards should not embark on strike action, but both sides and other stakeholders must play their part in calling for an urgent resolution to the dispute. Equally the struggle of the demonstrating security employees and their justified demands for a living wage and an end to exploitation should not be ignored.