Employees at the Namibian Tourism Board (NTB) have called for a vote of no confidence in their CEO, Digu //Naobeb. The workers demanded his removal due to a list of grievances levelled against him.
During the demonstration last week, the group also called on the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, to dissolve the current board. The workers had hoped to submit a petition to leadership but no one came forward to receive their petition.
The petition outlined an apparent lack of leadership at NTB as well as the re-appointment of //Naobeb as CEO, despite an investigation revealing him to be inadequate.
Workers Union Representative Committee leader, Theo Kamatoto, read the petition on behalf of signees, saying: “There is no compliance with internal corporate policies such as recruitment, selection, procurement and affirmative action.”
NTB workers also sought clarification on a salary increase saying they have not had a response to their request for an 8% increase. However, //Naobeb told New Era that NTB had not received a request for 8%, saying the last request received (10%) had resulted in a deadlock. “It (a 10% increase) is unreasonable in the current financial times. NTB is looking to ease the burden of its employees and offered 6% despite inflation being way below 4%.”
At the demonstration, //Naobeb also told employees that the NTB’s Head of Human Resources, Benedict Nakuta, had resigned in the face of looming disciplinary action related to the incorrect payment of salaries to employees. Nakuta, however, insisted his resignation simply coincided with the end of his five-year contract and his wish not to renew.
//Naobeb remained confident of NTB saying: “In general NTB has been doing well under my leadership. We have to date audited financials with clean records, which is a success in a very strenuous public enterprise environment.”
//Naobeb also told New Era that no one had come to receive the petition because there had been no request for dialogue or engagement on the matters in questions prior to the decision to undertake industrial action.
