NBC workers in their open letter asked their director-general Stanley Similo the following questions:
1. Performance bonuses or so-called ‘incentives’ paid out to some Management: How is it
possible that a non-commercial entity which has been struggling financially over the past 5
years and even amidst Covid-19 can pay out performance bonuses to some of its
Management? Performance-based on what achievements if the Corporation has been
struggling to sustain itself? How do you do so know that you have not even paid salary
increment to the general workers that were the real workforce keeping the NBC going amidst all these struggles? Don’t you regard your actions as selfish and inconsiderate? And it
is an utter lie, Mr DG that you informed staff about these performance bonus payouts in a circular early on. You only did so on the 2nd of December 2020 when the word ALREADY
spread amongst NBC that you did so. You were caught with your red-handed and that is the only reason why you ‘informed’ the staff. Based on what were the calculations made? 16 people got performance bonuses and whilst we agree that some of them deserve it, do we question: BASED on what PERFORMANCE did they get it? Because it should be clearly stipulated in their agreements if it’s the first time in 5 years that some have received these bonuses? Why can’t especially yours and that of your SLT be made known to the employees?
2. How do you justify giving your acting chief of technology, who is clearly incompetent, a N$200 000r bonus if her department specially technical-wise is in shambles? She is not on the total cost to the company, plus she is acting in that position which she obviously gets an allowance for. How do you justify that? Please deny or confirm it and ask yourself how fair it is towards the rest of your Management who is on the same employment contract as her? Did she also get her 13th cheque?
3. How do you sleep at night for giving you and your crony’s performance bonuses especially as
a non-commercial entity if a commercial entity such as O&L at the advent of Covid-19 cut the salaries of their top management whilst they did not even receive their performance bonuses towards the end of 2020. Your decision speaks volumes about a leader who does not care about its employees or the Institution called NBC who will forever remain standing without you and us, as concerned workers long after we are gone. The Minister & the Board should have by now replaced the current leadership of the NBC for this despicable act!
*Eagle FM sent questions to Similo and he did not respond. He also did not answer his phone.