Imperial employees complain about unfair labour practices

• By Uaueza Kanguatjivi

EMPLOYEES at Imperial Managed Solutions Namibia have tabled a notion of no confidence against one of their senior managers, Martin Cupido, whom they accused of ill-treating them and employing unfair labour practices.

Speaking to Confidente, disgruntled former employee, Nefel Mbauruma, expressed dissatisfaction with the working conditions at the company where he worked as a Forklifter.

Mbauruma described the current work ethics at Imperial Logistics where he has been an employee for the last years as inappropriate.

“People with wives and children at home are crying because someone in a position of power is taking away their livelihood,” Mbauruma said.

“Cupido is mistreating employees, I was fired after Cupido levelled false allegations against me.

I started as a general hand and became a fork lifter at the company.

The arrival of Cupido changed everything for a number of us. We worked overtime but never got paid for it, he made us work extra hours but made sure we did not get remunerated for our efforts, if one tried to question him, he would threaten to fire that person,” Mbauruma told Confidente.

“Since joining Imperial Managed Solutions, Cupido has been firing employees willy-nilly which we found shocking, if Cupido could not find anything to charge you for he looks for a silly reason to do so,” Mbauruma further informed Confidente.

Mbauruma further alleged that Cupido has a subcontractor, Spearpoint, working underneath Imperial Logistics whom he refers people he fires or retrenches to seek employment from.

“Between July and August alone, 15 people were dismissed without warnings, whether verbal or written.

The hearings are never fair as we are not properly represented and are not aware of which direction to take. Whether you go to the Labour Commission or what the correct legal procedure should be. As a result, many of us are taken advantage of,” Mbauruma, told Confidente.

Another former employee Festus Paulus said the working conditions at Imperial Managed Solutions drastically changed after the appointment of Cupido.

“Before Cupido came, the working conditions were okay, however after he was appointed the working conditions became so bad that there was no longer a good working environment at the company; for me, this was made clear after I was demoted from my position of Document Controller which I had been serving for 1 year and 3 months, and was subsequently fired.

“Everything was cut, things started to tumble, the system changed, only by the manners of the management. Some people were retrenched, dismissed and others quit by themselves,” Paulus said.

“Everyone complained about the working conditions. Cupido would have one person doing three people’s jobs at a time,” Paulus added.

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