Renthia Kaimbi
Human rights lawyer and former director of the Free Press of Namibia, Norman Tjombe, has warned that The Namibian risks losing the character and values that have historically defined the newspaper, amid allegations of union-busting and concerns over editorial independence.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Tjombe said it was unlawful to unilaterally change employees’ conditions of employment and described requiring journalists to resign from their union to qualify for promotion as a “blatant violation” of their constitutional right to freedom of association.
He also raised concern over an alleged directive that journalists should not report on big businesses in unflattering terms out of fear of losing advertising revenue.
“The way things are going, we will not recognise The Namibian newspaper. That is sad,” Tjombe said.
His remarks come after the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) wrote to The Namibian’s chief executive officer, Wolfram Jauss, demanding urgent intervention over allegations of “union-busting” and interference with journalists’ rights.
The organisations alleged that Wilma //Hoabes, an elected NAMPU executive member and national treasurer, was asked to resign from the union and step down from her elected position in order to get a promotion and salary increase from the daily newspaper.
They said documentary and recorded evidence existed concerning the exchanges.
The IFJ and FAJ further raised concerns about surveillance and photographing of workers, sick leave, unpaid overtime, after-hours work, lack of formal job descriptions, freelance contracts and disciplinary procedures.
They called on management to cease interference with NAMPU and engage the union in good faith.
NAMPU Secretary General Jemima Beukes told the Windhoek Observer that the labour and editorial violations at The Namibian were not new developments and that attempts by the union to engage the publication in good faith were turned down on numerous occasions.
“Making workers work without job descriptions and employment contracts is a blatant disregard for workers’ labour rights. The issue of overtime and fair compensation has also been raised and questioned in the past,” said Beukes.
Tjombe, meanwhile, pointed to The Namibian’s historical role in defending media freedom, saying the newspaper survived political intimidation, firebombing and a government advertising ban, while continuing to hold those in power accountable.
He warned that allowing commercial interests to dictate coverage would represent a departure from the newspaper’s foundational ethos.
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