A married couple who work as landscapers were left shaken after thieves violently robbed the couple of their tools and seriously injured one of them. The incident occurred on the afternoon of Jan. 7 as Esteban Vargas and his wife, Linda Huerta, were working at the South Pasadena home of one of their customers, according to a GoFundMe organized for the couple. Vargas happened to be […]

SERDANG — Malaysian police have confirmed that legal action against the suspect involved in the recent assault of a female fast-food worker in Serdang Raya will proceed despite the suspect currently being overseas. The case is scheduled to be brought before the Petaling Jaya Magistrates’ Court on January 8. Serdang District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner […]

Video - ನಿಯತ್ತು ಮತ್ತು ಬೆವರು ಸುರಿಸಿ ದುಡಿಯುವ ಕೈಗಳಿಗೆ ದ್ರೋಹ ಬಗೆಯಬಾರದು ಎಂಬುದು ಲೋಕ ನೀತಿ. ಆದರೆ, ಇಲ್ಲೊಂದು ಅಮಾನವೀಯ ಘಟನೆ ನಡೆದು, ಅದರ ವಿಡಿಯೋ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ವೈರಲ್

Justicia Shipena Former employees of Namsov and Heinaste say they are suffering mental, emotional and physical distress due to the government’s failure to resolve their back pay. The fishermen, supported by the Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union (MMMCWU), have threatened to approach the Office of the President and take legal action if their demands are not met by Friday. The group, which is part of the government’s redress programme following the Fishrot scandal, travelled from Walvis Bay to Windhoek and protested outside Government Park on Tuesday. They are demanding that fishing quotas be reallocated to Blue Chromis PTY Ltd, a company they say offers fair and stable employment. “We stand here not in protest, but in determined pursuit of justice and dignity for Namibian workers,” said MMMCWU secretary general Joseph Garoeb during the handover of the petition to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Garoeb said the affected workers have been on “no work, no pay” contracts since December 2022. He claimed that millions worth of quotas have been allocated to companies with no proven capacity, while workers continue to suffer. The union is calling for the immediate reallocation of quotas from Hangana Sea Food, Merlus Fishing, Iyaloo Women Investment, and Novanam Fishing to Blue Chromis PTY Ltd. Garoeb said the company has emerged as the workers’ preferred employer over the past five months due to its offer of permanent contracts, a take-home salary of N$8,400, housing allowances, pension, and a share-based fish commission. “This proposal reflects the kind of dignified employment workers deserve,” said Garoeb. He said the offer from Blue Chromis has already led other companies to revise their own conditions. The union further claims the current quota allocation process violated the designation agreement, as quotas were issued before employment contracts were signed. Workers reportedly earn as little as N$1,200 to N$2,000 per month, while quotas are valued at up to N$700,000. Garoeb accused civil servants responsible for the redress programme of failing to uphold accountability and showing arrogance toward the affected workers. He also called for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry, including representatives from the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Namibian Police, labour experts, and worker representatives, to investigate irregularities in the quota allocation process. “Laws and policies have been ignored, while some unions with quota ownership have conflicted interests, further worsening the suffering of workers,” said Garoeb. According to the petition, the fisheries minister gave assurances on 18 May 2025 that the matter would be resolved politically or socially. However, the fishermen say no tangible action has followed. “We request that future allocations be made with proper engagement and formal employment agreements that honour the workers’ choice of employer,” the petition reads. David Sheehama, one of the fishermen affected, said he is unable to support his family. “I am suffering. I cannot even express it. I want my back pay to help my child further her studies,” he told the Windhoek Observer. Executive director in the ministry of fisheries, Teofelus Nghitila, received the petition on behalf of the minister. “The ministry will continue to engage with you as it has been the case. We really are committed to resolve the issue. I met with you two times and we are addressing one matter at a time. As we speak, most of the employees are now back to work. This back pay is a new matter which you had forwarded to our office and it is receiving attention from the ministry,” he said. Nghitila said the ministry’s engagement with the workers has been constructive and expressed confidence in reaching a solution. This week’s protest follows a similar demonstration four months ago by around 400 former employees of Heinaste and Namsov 73, who had gone without pay for three months. They had refused to sign contracts with the companies allocated to them under the redress programme.

Exclusion of uniformed workers 'Draconian' – Jauch NBC Online Mon, 07/28/2025 - 16:58

Assemblymember McKener pushes for timely justice for workers facing retaliation in California.

YouTube video by David Mc

The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations has vowed to enforce compliance with minimum wage laws after security guards reported being underpaid. The government approved the phased implementation of a national minimum wage for security guards effective from 1 January. This means all security staff should receive N$13.50 per hour, with further increases to N$16.00 in 2026, and N$18.00 in 2027. Executive director of justice and labour relations Nghidinwa Daniel says follow-up inspections with security companies are on the cards to confirm that companies are complying with the new minimum wage order, overtime payments and work done on Sundays and public holidays. This follows accusations that security company Omeya Investment CC was underpaying staff, prompting the Namibia Security Workers Union to stage a protest. The ministry investigated and confirmed that Omeya Investment was paying outdated wages of N$8.75 per hour, instead of the current rate of N$13.50 per hour. “The government is committed to protecting workers’ rights and will ensure full enforcement of the law. Employers must meet all wage and labour law requirements, or the ministry will take action,” Daniel says. The union also alleged that around 50 workers were fired after raising complaints which the company has denied, saying the workers’ contracts had simply expired. The ministry has advised the affected workers to file cases with the labour commissioner if they feel they have been unfairly dismissed. It was also found that the company did not pay workers for overtime work done, and working on Sundays and public holidays. “We hereby order the company to comply with the minimum wage and rectify other detected violations. “The ministry will conduct a follow-up inspection before the end of May to confirm compliance,” the executive director says. Omeya Investment CC managing director Johannes Shuuya blames the City of Windhoek for his company’s failure to implement the newly gazetted national minimum wage. He cites stagnant contract rates as the main barrier. Shuuya says his hands are tied due to the City of Windhoek’s refusal to revise his contract rate since 2018. “They have been paying me N$14.45 per hour since 2018 – that rate has never changed. After deducting VAT of N$2.16, I’m left with N$12.29. That’s already below the minimum wage, and we haven’t even talked about operating costs,” he says. He says unless the city adjusts its payment structure, he may be forced to lay off some of his 286 staff members, which would contradict national employment creation goals, he says. The City of Windhoek has confirmed receipt of Omeya Investment CC’s letter requesting an adjustment, as well as declining it, arguing that the current contractual hourly rate it pays is already above the statutory minimum wage of N$13.50 per hour. “The City of Windhoek maintains it is in substantial compliance with applicable labour and procurement regulations. The contractual rates were mutually agreed upon at the time of award and are fixed. “The contract does not make provision for automatic or unilateral adjustments due to subsequent wage increases,” municipality spokesperson Lydia Amutenya says. The municipality has further accused Omeya Investment CC of unfair remuneration practices, alleging deductions of N$400 from each guard for transport, while simultaneously claiming an inability to meet operational costs. “Despite being paid N$10 750 per site, per guard by the City of Windhoek, Omeya pays its guards a basic salary of only N$2 205, indicating a profit margin to the company of approximately N$8 545 per guard. “These figures raise serious concerns about the company’s internal wage policies, which appear disproportionate and misaligned with principles of fair labour practices,” Amutenya says. The government is facing criticism for awarding contracts to security companies which do not comply with minimum wage requirements and other labour laws. The Namibia Security Labour Forum and other unions have expressed concerns that these non-compliant companies are exploiting their workers and undermining fair competition. The Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union recently threatened to take legal action and press criminal charges against companies not complying with the recently instituted minimum wage requirements to recover “workers’ stolen wages”. The post Ministry slams security firms over wages appeared first on The Namibian.

The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations through its labour inspectorate has recovered over N$2 million on behalf of various employees from their non-compliant employers during the 2024/25 financial year. The amount collected between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 was part of wage arrears and other statutory entitlements that were unlawfully withheld from employees by their employers across various sectors. This was announced on Thursday in a statement by the ministry’s chief public relations officer Maria Hedimbi. “This recovery emanated from 3 317 of the 4 176 labour complaints which were reported to the ministry during the same period. The instances of non-compliance were non-payment of remuneration, non- payment of overtime, non-payment of work done on Sundays/public holidays and/or unauthorised and excessive deductions from employees’ remunerations. This ongoing trend of non-compliance is a great concern to the ministry,” she said. She said the highest recovery is from the central region (Windhoek, Gobabis, Rehoboth, Okahandja, Omaruru, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay) whereby an amount of N$722 119 was collected. The smallest amount of N$130 608 was collected from the southern region namely, Mariental, Keetmanshoop, Karasburg, Noordower, Rosh Pinah, Oranjemund and Lüderitz. The ministry further conducted a total of 1 739 workplace inspections to assess the basic conditions of employment during the same period. Of these inspections, 1 380 workplaces were found to be compliant while 353 were in contravention with the provisions of labour laws. The post Over N$2m collected in labour complaints appeared first on The Namibian.