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Poly students join strike

Hundreds of Polytechnic of Namibia students staged a brief demonstration in solidarity with the striking workers on Monday.

They matched on campus and gathered at the main entrance where they demanded that management speedily addressed the workers’ demands.

The SRC’s Secretary for Information and Publicity Charlie Matengu said the strike had paralyzed the institution’s operations.

Matengu said the closure of the administration department, library, clinic, transport section and the dining hall had a negative impact on the students.

He bemoaned the fact that they had to borrow books elsewhere, while they had to allegedly study under trees.

The SRC member stated that he feared that if the situation was not addressed, it would lead to the cancellation of their examinations which were due on the 29th of September.

No end in sight for Poly strike

By: DENVER KISTING and SELMA KAULINGE THE Ministry of Education has told the Polytechnic of Namibia (PoN) that it does not have money for the PoN’s salary increases. David Namwandi, the Deputy Minister of Education, yesterday said the ministry sympathises with Polytechnic, but told its rector and its council during a meeting with Minister Abraham Iyambo that there is simply no money for a salary increase.

“The strike is continuing,” Kaitira Kandjii, the Polytechnic spokesperson, said yesterday afternoon.

He said the institution’s council and its management met yesterday morning to discuss the strike.

Kandjii earlier said their hands are tied if Government does not come to their rescue.

Kandjii on Sunday said the striking workers were demanding a 10% increase across the board. Initially the workers wanted an 18% increase, he said.

Students of the Polytechnic held a demonstration yesterday to complain about how the strike has affected their studies.

The students, led by the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), handed over a petition to the chairman of Polytechnic Council.

The students said the strike had deprived them of a number of services which made studying difficult, such as the library and the dining hall that are closed.

They claim to have resorted to studying under trees.

The 400 students living in the hostel must now walk to Pick n Pay three times a day to buy their meals with vouchers provided by the Polytechnic.

“We the students did not sign an agreement with Pick n Pay upon registration, we are paying the Polytechnic for these services and we are the ones being inconvenienced by having to walk to and from town for our meals,” said SRC member Charlie Matengu.

Other services that are affected include the finance department, the examination department and campus health facilities.

The students called on the workers and the Polytechnic management to come to an agreement soon, because the year-end examinations start next month.