From: "Macdonald Stainsby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [R-G] Namibian action against the war Mass stayaway call over US bombing CHRISPIN INAMBAO http://196.31.227.189/webx?14+AEAAQA-.ee6c4be/1+AD4- THE National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) has called for a national stayaway from work on Friday to protest the US-led bombing campaign against Afghanistan and privatisation and mismanagement at state-owned enterprises. The NUNW said that it expected more than 100 000 people to take part in the mass action which will focus on marches in a number of towns. The union federation appealed to employers to give workers leave for the day. Cuana Angula, the General Secretary of Namibia Food and Allied Workers' Union (Nafau), who is on the committee organising the stayaway, appealed to employers to avoid massive losses by making alternative arrangements with suppliers and clients. Said Angula: There will be financial losses ... I know some companies have made arrangements to avoid these types of losses. Mocks Shivute, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, yesterday said officials from the US Embassy in Windhoek had approached Government over the planned march. He said Government cannot interfere with decisions of the union. On Government employees who plan to participate in the stayaway, Shivute said no payment will apply because it is a working day. Towns where marches are planned include Mariental, Keetmanshoop, Katima Mulilo, Luderitz, Rundu, Swakopmund and Windhoek. In the capital the union will march along Independence Avenue and hand over petitions at the US Embassy and the British High Commission. The Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Namibia Employers Federation will also be petitioned. According to Angula, the planned marches are of national importance. We trust that nobody who participates in the marches will be victimised by employers. We will not tolerate victimisation of any kind and we will take appropriate action against any employer who tries to victimise his or her workers. We appeal for the spirit of unity to prevail, said the unionist. Turning to the US-led bombings, he said the American government had lost all moral high ground, charging it had bombed hospitals, the Red Cross, UN facilities and villages in Afghanistan resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives. We call for an immediate end to the bombardment because it is short-sighted, foolish and immoral to fight terror with terror, he stated. On commercialisation, Angula said Government had hoped it would lead to greater efficiency and the better management of parastatals, but instead we have just seen even greater mismanagement, corruption, fraud and waste of taxpayers' money. He said Air Namibia and TransNamib were examples where hundreds of millions of dollars had gone down the drain because of poor management. Angula called for an immediate end to the enormous packages the managers of parastatals enjoy, because the packages are being paid by consumers who pay enormous prices for services such as telephones, water, and postage. David Lush Media Programme Officer Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) PO Box 678, Wits 2050, South Africa Tel. 11 403 3414, Fax. 11 403 2708 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------- Macdonald Stainsby Rad-Green List: Radical anti-capitalist environmental discussion. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green ---- Leninist-International: Building bridges in the tradition of V.I. Lenin. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international ---- In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
