A worker, who tipped-off The Namibian about the overtime underpayments, indicated that close to 20 hostel staff were “underpaid” for overtime hours they worked during the two-week Namibian Police Force annual sport championships which Keetmanshoop hosted during the August holiday.
The hostels staff performed duties including supervising hostel kitchen equipment, and performing cleaning services at hostels where members,who participated in the sport activities, stayed.
Apparently some cleaners, who had performed duties at the hostels, were paid as little as N$ 150 for 165 hours of work over a period of 11 days, while the overtime payments of hostel matrons and chief matrons varied between N$ 600 and N$ 800, according to the worker.
The latter overtime payments are in stark contrast to the affected workers' overtime calculations sheet, of which The Namibian has seen a copy.
The workers' overtime pay was calculated as follows: a cleaner was supposed to get N$ 4 525, a hostel matron N$ 8 997, and a chief hostel matron N$ 11 465.
“We sacrificed our holiday, which we could have spent with our family members, and this (paltry overtime pay) is what we got for our sacrifices. This is not what we're normally paid when performing duties at hostel during the spring holiday school,” an affected worker said angrily.
According to the worker, what has upset them the most was that their employer (the education ministry) received payment of N$ 434 000 from the Namibian Police for the use of the hostels.
When contacted for comment, //Karas education director, /Awebahe //Hoeseb, acknowledged the latter payment, but added that the money only covered the use of hostel facilities.
“The police were supposed to pay the hostel staff overtime as it was agreed upon, but to date they did not,” said //Hoeseb.
But contrary to //Hoeseb's assertion, a letter in possession of The Namibian in which the regional education authority had invoiced the police, clearly states that the N$ 434 000 had to be calculated as follows; “The financial regulations as per treasury instructions as stipulated in the hostel guide, chapter 11:5, refer: “Adult visitors during school holiday when personnel have to be especially on duty N$ 40 per person”
Despite this, //Hoeseb insisted that the invoice that was given to the police only included the use of hostel facilities.
When asked why the education directorate had then paid the hostel staff overtime, //Hoeseb said: “ We paid (to encourage them) because they were demotivated. They performed duties and were not paid (by the police)”.
According to //Hoeseb, the education directorate calculated the overtime rates it had paid to the affected hostel staff as stipulated in the education policy.
//Hoeseb also denied instructing any other staff than the chief hostel matron to perform supervision during the police sport activities.
When asked how the education directorate would spend the money the police had paid for the use of the hostel activities,//Hoeseb at first said the money will be used to renovate the hostel buildings, however later retracted his statement, saying the education directorate will still decide how to spend it.
The Police sport and recreation division head, Inspector Thimo Haikonda, said the police are not indebted to the education directorate anymore.
“We paid what we were supposed to pay, and in accordance with the invoice,” said Haikonda.