EDITORIAL: Worker exploitation backfires

In Namibia, where severe poverty, hunger and unemployment are among the most pressing issues facing the country, talking about the increasing financial hardships faced by those fortunate enough to have jobs might seem insensitive and privileged.However, this growing problem has economic and developmental consequences and cannot be ignored.A recent survey revealed that about 73% of Namibians said they went without enough food at least once in the past year. It’s a grim reality that food insecurity now extends beyond the very poor and jobless.Amid a global cost-of-living crisis and low and stagnant wages, which fail to cover even the most basic necessities, salaried workers are increasingly driven to seek help from food banks, family and friends, or costly loans from financial institutions.“Adding the inflationary pressures underpinning the cost-of-living crisis to the equation, it is increasingly the case that employment in and of itself cannot protect Namibian workers from the threat of poverty. On the contrary, it appears that the numbers of ‘working poor’ are growing concomitantly with the spiraling rate of unemployment,” a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research warned last year.Knowing that workers trapped in a bleak job market have few alternatives, corporations increasingly flout labour laws, create toxic environments and extract every ounce of productivity from their staff. These workers, cornered by a saturated job market, have no way out.This issue is not unique to Namibia; it’s a global phenomenon. Workers worldwide find themselves trapped in hostile work environments where unethical practices are rampant because employers know that quitting a job is not an option, but productivity levels drop immensely as a result.

EDITORIAL: Worker exploitation backfires

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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EDITORIAL: Worker exploitation backfires

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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