WINDHOEK — On Tuesday, the Office of the Labour Commissioner hosted a significant stakeholder engagement focused on Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) in an effort to refine service delivery and tackle persistent issues in labour dispute resolution.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Hafeni Ndemula, the meeting aimed to scrutinize and improve the processes of conciliation and arbitration, which have traditionally faced public criticism. The engagement involved a detailed assessment of the existing procedures to pinpoint inefficiencies and formulate enhancements. Ndemula highlighted the importance of acknowledging both the successes and failures of the current system. “It would be foolish to dismiss the fact that, as with every freshly implemented system or process, there are many areas of weakness and failure, in addition to many achievements. It is known that some of these deficiencies are more serious and have far-reaching consequences than others,” he commented.
Lydia Indombo, Executive Director of the Ministry of Labour, echoed Ndemula’s sentiments, noting public dissatisfaction with the pace of adjudicating labour disputes, which spurred the ministry to investigate and implement the BPR at the Office of the Labour Commissioner. “The public has made several concerns about the conciliation and arbitration process. I believe that registering federations, associations, and trade unions is significantly faster. Labour cases are taking longer than expected. Some disputing parties have given up, while others have lost faith in the Alternative Dispute Resolution methods available in the country,” Indombo explained.
The meeting also discussed additional reform measures, including the Performance Management System, which promotes self-rating and accountability among officials, the Public Sector Wage Bill Containment Strategy, and Public Sector Innovation. Indombo stressed the potential benefits of these reforms, “The benefits of these reforms are numerous if those entrusted with such responsibilities apply them to the best of their ability.”