Namibia- SWAKOPMUND municipal workers held a demonstration to demanded a pay rise on Tuesday.

“No more peanuts. We want more money,” they shouted as their managers and councillors watched from the municipal headquarters.

The workers then handed over a petition to the council's management committee chairman, Erriki Shitana.

The petition, read by Napwu municipal branch representative Uanjenguaije Tjiurutue, referred to a deadlock in salary negotiations since June, and blamed it on an unwillingness to negotiate by their employer.

A proposal was submitted last December, and the first bargaining meeting was held on 19 March this year. Usually, municipal salary negotiations begin in early February.

A deadlock was declared after the employer showed unwillingness to address “the skewed and inequitable salary structure”.

The workers are concerned that the salaries of their managers, CEO and councillors are nearly on par (just under 5%) with their counterparts at the Walvis Bay Municipality, while the margin for the majority of the non-managerial employees compared to their counterparts at the harbour town's municipality was short with up to 30%.

The Swakopmund workers even offered to compromise to agree on an adjustment “within budgetary means”, or to adjust on a two to three-year basis, but their employer rejected both proposals.

The union, on the other hand, said the 4% across the board salary increase proposed by the employer would not address the effects of the low salary structure, but would make the situation worse.

“The councillors and managers are trying to justify the situation by saying the economy of Walvis Bay is bigger than that of Swakopmund because of the fishing industry, and therefore, we cannot compare the two. We agree, but the same economy of Swakopmund, small as it is, can carry the managers, CEO and councillors with their heavy perks. Why is it not able to carry street cleaners and general workers?” the protestors asked.

The union gave the council seven days to respond to their demands. Shitana said the contents of the petition will be reviewed and feedback provided to the workers at the right time.