Namibia: Workers accuse their bosses of being cut off

MEATCO workers demonstrated yesterday in Windhoek against Acting Director General Jannie Breytenbach and Heiner Bohme, head of cattle procurement, who were accused of mismanagement.

In a petition read by company steward Michael Tjivikua, employees accused executives of failing to comply with labor laws.

Tjivikua stated that Breytenbach had closed the slaughterhouses of Oshakati and Katima Mulilo.

"In addition, in 2017, the Meatco store in Okahandja was closed after major renovations and improvements made by the same interim general manager, claiming with figures that Meatco would make profits beyond a reasonable doubt. ", he said, adding that the workers had been fired.

"The commitment of the Acting Director General to workers and representatives always turns out to be futile," Tjivikua said.

He added that Breytenbach had innovative ideas that never worked and that workers had to be fired or fired because of bad decisions and errors in judgment.

"The lack of responsibility within them is very visible, they are poor decision makers (you do not implement something today, and tomorrow you close it), and there is widespread favoritism among the different groups racial (Whites never report their misdeeds), "said the petition.

Rosa Hamukuaja-Thobias, head of Meatco's business, said in response to the petition that the company felt affected by the economic recession and that the main challenge was the recurring drought that hit most farmers.

"This has had an impact on the number of incoming flows in the slaughterhouse.As a result, the plant is not operating at full capacity (43%)," she said, adding that she had to rethink her strategies the company must remain operational.

Hamukuaja-Thobias said that small operational cost reductions had been introduced, such as employees receiving less protective clothing and the suspension of the "thank you bonus", which has not been granted since then. last year.

"The payroll was too high and voluntary workforce reductions and early retirements were also proposed around May 2018 to reduce the number of employees," she added.

The observer from Windhoek reported in August that the financial situation of the parastatal was increasingly desperate, so that Meatco's losses since the beginning of the year are around $ 60 million Namibians and are expected to more than double to 150 million Namibian dollars by the end of February. 2019.

Some people attributed the financial crisis to the decrease in the number of livestock, which would lead to operational costs.

Similarly, commercial farmers are refusing their livestock mainly because they are dissatisfied with the decision not to appoint their representative on the Meatco Board of Directors following the resignation in February of the sales representative Fannie Oosthuizen. .

Breytenbach replaced former CEO, Vekuii Rukoro, who resigned in December 2017 after a public fall with the current board of directors.