Dam builders to get shade, water and toilets

Salini SpA, the contractor of the Neckartal Dam project near Keetmanshoop, has agreed to erect shelters with seats to give workers some shade during their breaks. Steel workers who work in the same spot all day will also get a roof over their heads. This was agreed to during two days of talks between management, the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (Manwu) and the Labour Ministry, aimed at resolving a two-day work stoppage at the largest construction project in Namibia. Responding to workers’ allegations of poor working conditions in the blazing sun, and a lack of sanitation, Salini agreed to provide them with cool drinking water in insulated tanks, and portable chemical toilets. Workers will be paid for Monday and Tuesday although they refused to work. Meanwhile, the workers have demanded the head of the company’s Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) officer, Sofia Maria Gonçalves, whom they claim to be deliberately failing to adhere to safety measures. A worker, who did not want his name published, accused the company’s Human Resources Manager, Hendrina Mukwiilongo, of receiving bribes from workers to double their salaries and employ their relatives at the site. Workers also asked for the removal of Mukwiilongo during a protest in November last year. According to this person, people working in the Fish River Canyon have no access to clean water or toilets. “People urinate in the river, while others drink that contaminated water, because it is too far to climb up to get water or a toilet,” he said. Meanwhile, a former Salini, SHE officer has alleged that an employee, a certain Mr Mungunda, broke several bones after falling several metres down the canyon. She said workers have to climb the canyon walls without any safety aids. She also alleged that the workers receive no protective clothing and can hardly see a thing when the dust rises during work. Manwu General-Secretary Justina Jonas said she knew of the Mungunda incident but it happened in the very early stages when no worker belonged to a union. “I only know about it because that name popped up. Salini pays for all his hospital bills and they even transport him from Keetmanshoop to Windhoek to see the doctors,” she said, adding that Mungunda has since returned to work. WINDHOEK JEMIMA BEUKES