Air Namibia: Tourism sector remains worried

Chief executive officer of the Hospitality Association of Namibia, Gitta Paetzold, said a strike by Air Namibia employees could disrupt tourism flow, greatly inconvenience tourists and tarnish Namibia’s image as a safe tourism destination.

“It is extremely worrying and disheartening to read about Air Namibia staff threatening to hold a strike this week,” Paetzold told Travel News Namibia last week.

The industrial action is expected to take place simultaneously nationwide as from today, but so far no announcement has been made.

Earlier today, a spokesperson at the union could only confirm that Natau members were in talks with Air Namibia management behind closed doors.

 

Paetzold said the positive reviews which Namibia gained through the successful hosting of events last year, such as the Adventure Travel World Summit and the 11th Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, could be lost through the “short-sighted acts of some people.”

According to Nampa, John Kwedhi, general secretary of Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau), said Tuesday that the strike will only be called off if the management of Air Namibia agreed to staff salary demands.

“We still remain in the same situation and come Wednesday, our members will withdraw their services until management listens to them,” he told a reporter at Nampa.

Natau said it had given the airline’s management opportunity to reconsider a 6.4 per cent total-cost-to-company (TCTC) increase imposed on union members in March 2013.

The union has proposed a seven and nine per cent salary increment for implementation beginning April 1 this year.

Both parties held their last meeting on Feb 13 during which Air Namibia’s management requested Natau renegotiate its salary demands.

Additional information sourced — BERNAMA