Stefanus Nashama
The newly established Revolutionary Union (RU), belonging to the Affirmative Reposition movement wants to recruit members of the Namibian Police Force and represent them in disciplinary proceedings.
The union, on Monday, wrote to the Namibian Police Inspector-General, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, seeking an audience with him in his office to ask him for permission to recruit officers as members of the union.
The union, in their letter, informed Shikongo that it plans to solely represent uniformed men and women during disciplinary hearings and not as a bargaining unit for benefits.
According to the RU, it has conducted informal engagement with police officers, and the sample survey revealed that a substantial number of men and women in uniform are willing to join the union to represent them in the event of disciplinary inquiries which are frequent due to the nature of their jobs.
The Namibian Police are classified as an essential workforce and officers are prohibited from joining workers’ unions.
Shikongo confirmed that he received the letter on Monday.
He, however, said that he cannot make a public comment because the letter is directed to his office and he still has to officially respond to the RU before it becomes a public discussion.
Shikongo indicated he is busy drafting the response and once all communications will be made directly to the RU.
“This is a letter, with an author. It does not come from the public, and it was not discussed with the public before, therefore the police cannot give its position yet. I have to respond to the letter first,” he reiterated. The RU said should this request obtain approval; the sought membership will be solely limited to the representation during the disciplinary enquires and board of trial and that their plans exclude the bargaining for benefits to ensure the proper control of the force and to maintain discipline among members.
The Union said it understands some police members find themselves in rigid situations of paying a high legal cost to legal practitioners when they are faced with disciplinary cases.
According to RU, this situation forces police officers to approach hearings without legal representation even during serious cases resulting in their jobs at stake and impairment of the fundamental rights to fair trial as declared in the Namibian Constitution.
