Nampa employees accuse agency of invasion of privacy
Issues go ‘unaddressed for seven years’
The employees lamented 'monitoring software' installed by the IT department, and accused management of fostering a toxic work environment.
Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) employees yesterday demanded that the agency come to the table after giving the board of directors three days to accept a petition highlighting employee grievances.
Employees handed over the petition to a member of the board of directors, Kingsley Geiseb, after refusing to deliver it to CEO Linus Chata.
Chata had had "enough time" to consider employees' grievances, they said.
"We have dedicated years to the agency [and] are disheartened to witness the growing discontentment among the workforce due to several issues.
“These issues have been going unaddressed for the past seven years," the petition read.
The employees accused the agency of, among other things, failing to train them and creating a hostile and unconducive working environment.
Concerned
Namibia Media Professionals Union (Nampu) deputy secretary-general Jemima Beukes said the union is concerned about the accusations made by the employees against the agency.
"Nampu joins the workers of Nampa in their call for better working conditions and an immediate end to discrimination, victimisation and nepotism.
“We are gravely concerned about allegations about the installation of spyware to monitor [staff].
“This raises serious implications - not only for the safety and well-being of these journalists and their sources, but it goes against the very core of journalistic ethics and integrity,” she said.
Toxic
The petition highlighted that the agency's management has on several occasions failed to offer peaceful working conditions by refusing to address certain issues.
"Nampa does not practice and understand the ethics aligned to good corporate governance, which is to help foster an environment of trust, transparency and accountability.
“The current employee monitoring software implemented by the IT department has given rise to the invasion of privacy. As employees at Nampa, we have the right to keep private facts about ourselves confidential and the right to some degree of personal space," it read.
Neither Geiseb nor Nampa board chairperson Ndeuhala Lewis Katonyala could be reached for comment yesterday.
Employees handed over the petition to a member of the board of directors, Kingsley Geiseb, after refusing to deliver it to CEO Linus Chata.
Chata had had "enough time" to consider employees' grievances, they said.
"We have dedicated years to the agency [and] are disheartened to witness the growing discontentment among the workforce due to several issues.
“These issues have been going unaddressed for the past seven years," the petition read.
The employees accused the agency of, among other things, failing to train them and creating a hostile and unconducive working environment.
Concerned
Namibia Media Professionals Union (Nampu) deputy secretary-general Jemima Beukes said the union is concerned about the accusations made by the employees against the agency.
"Nampu joins the workers of Nampa in their call for better working conditions and an immediate end to discrimination, victimisation and nepotism.
“We are gravely concerned about allegations about the installation of spyware to monitor [staff].
“This raises serious implications - not only for the safety and well-being of these journalists and their sources, but it goes against the very core of journalistic ethics and integrity,” she said.
Toxic
The petition highlighted that the agency's management has on several occasions failed to offer peaceful working conditions by refusing to address certain issues.
"Nampa does not practice and understand the ethics aligned to good corporate governance, which is to help foster an environment of trust, transparency and accountability.
“The current employee monitoring software implemented by the IT department has given rise to the invasion of privacy. As employees at Nampa, we have the right to keep private facts about ourselves confidential and the right to some degree of personal space," it read.
Neither Geiseb nor Nampa board chairperson Ndeuhala Lewis Katonyala could be reached for comment yesterday.
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