The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has recognised Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU) as the exclusive bargaining agent for the employees.
The announcement was made by the Director General, Menesia Muinjo, at a meeting between the two parties in Windhoek.
The two parties reaffirmed their partnership with a focus on ensuring employees' well-being and the success of the corporation's mandate.
"What is key is that for the interest of the business we have to work together. That is why we are at the same table today to recognise NAPWU as an exclusive bargaining agent for the employees and also a strategic partner. I was telling the leadership to say there is no problem in having a strategic partnership like a union; there will be some views that differ, but if we work in an honest manner, the aim is solutions," stressed Muinjo.
Deputy General Secretary of NAPWU, Mateus Ndeshikeya, maintains, "NAPWU is proud to officially step into our role as an exclusive bargaining agent for the employees of the NBC. We also thank our members in particular and the entire NBC staff in general for their unwavering trust in Napwu, and we are hereby ensuring that Napwu is determined to ensure that their pride is protected at all times."
The parties also admitted that the 2021 industrial action by the NBC employees affected the relationship between them and the company.
Acting Chairperson of NAPWU-WURCOM Johannes Lengi says, "What we went through is not an easy thing, but we are grateful, and from now on we are opening a new page. We are going to work, and let's hope your door is open because there are really issues at hand that we are going to fix."
It's true we can't ignore the past. Where we come from, there are still some silent issues that we can work together on, trying to bring everybody to the table, especially with the impact of what may have happened; there is a lot of healing. That together we will have to see how we move to build the trust between the two parties," says Muinjo.
Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer for NBC, Gerson Kamatuka, reiterates, "Let it not be us and them, and let's not throw the past away. Let's learn from the past so that we guard against the bad things of the past and not allow them to happen again."
The NBC ended its recognition agreement with NAPWU on the first of October, 2021, after an internal audit revealed the union had lost its majority membership status, dropping to about 45%.
This separation followed a seven-week national strike over salaries and working conditions in 2021.