Niël Terblanché
The Office of the Labour Commissioner (OLC) is undergoing changes as part of the Business Process Reengineering (BPR) initiative that is focused on improving service delivery and efficiency.
This was announced during a stakeholder meeting held in Windhoek on Wednesday to review the next phase of the initiative.
Lydia Indombo, the executive director of the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation (MLIREC), outlined the ambitious goals of the BPR initiative.
“The BPR process is focused on achieving the development of customer service-orientated processes to eliminate complaints, reducing task completion times, reducing complexity throughout processes, building in quality from the outset and maintaining it, developing innovative solutions for major process improvements and enhancing overall effectiveness and efficiency,” she said.
The initial phase, referred to as the “As-Is” process, involved reviewing existing systems and identifying areas needing improvement.
Indombo said that the stakeholders’ meeting marks the transition to the “To-Be” process, where stakeholders will collaboratively design a future state that promises dramatic performance improvements.
She pointed to the importance of such engagements, noting the enthusiastic and constructive participation of stakeholders.
“The fairly quick turn-around time demonstrates the commitment and resolve on the part of the Ministry, the Steering Committee, and the OLC to address stakeholder concerns as soon as possible,” she said.
The BPR initiative is benchmarked against leading institutions in the SADC region, such as the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) of South Africa, the Directorate of Dispute Prevention and Resolution (DDPR) of Lesotho, and the Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration Commission (CMAC) of Eswatini.
“These efforts aim to adopt best practices and enhance the OLC’s processes,” she said.
Another important innovation under the BPR initiative is the development of a new case management system.
According to Indombo, this system will improve the collection, collation, storage, and retrieval of data related to conciliation and arbitration processes, thereby streamlining operations and reducing delays.
Indombo also stressed the importance of moving towards an autonomous dispute resolution house, in line with the SADC Framework of Dispute Resolution.
“This shift is expected to address current complaints and inefficiencies, ensuring that the OLC can operate more effectively and independently,” she said.
She added that the BPR initiative represents a vital step towards modernising Namibia’s labour dispute resolution mechanisms.
Indombo expressed confidence in the positive outcomes of this process, urging stakeholders to maintain their constructive engagement.
“I assure you that the OLC has my full support in this endeavour to elevate this institution to new heights of excellence,” she said.
The meeting was attended by the Acting Deputy Executive Director, Aune Mudjanima, Equity Commissioner Advocate Otniel Podewiltz, Labour Commissioner Kyllikki Sihlahla, and representatives from various employer and worker organisations.
