30 April, 2025One of the trade union leaders advancing workers’ rights as a member of Parliament (MP) in Namibia is Honourable Justina Jonas.
In her maiden speech, on 9 April, she called upon the Namibian government to finalize on modernization of laws that include the Labour Act, the Social Security Act and Affirmative Action (Employment) Act to ensure compliance by employers. Further, she said the work of the employment equity commission must include gender equality and underrepresented workers. She also called upon the government to
“ensure that lawful strikes are respected, and that workers do not lose income when exercising their constitutional right to strike in pursuit of fair collective bargaining.”
Honourable Jonas from the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (MANWU) is an MP from the ruling SWAPO party. She previously worked in both the formal and informal economies as a security guard, street food vendor and hairdresser, and has been an active trade unionist since 2003 and rose up to the position of general secretary.
She also served in the union’s education department where she implemented programmes on health and safety, workers’ rights, gender equality, and campaigned for youth employment and living wages.
MANWU an IndustriALL affiliate and organizes workers in construction, metal, engineering, automotive manufacturing and other industries.
Jonas supported the national budget statement plans to create 500 000 jobs, provide quality education and healthcare, equitable access to land, housing and sanitation, and poverty eradication.
She was involved in campaigns for the ratification of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 to end violence and harassment in the world of work. In 2020 Namibia became the first African country to ratify the convention. Since then, she is involved in campaigns to implement workplace policies as per ILO Recommendation 206 (Violence and Harassment Recommendation).
“I am a deployee of the workers. For too long the voices of workers have been missing in the legislative organ of the state hence many bills were passed in parliament that sometimes compromised workers’ rights. With my experience from the world of work, I will ensure that bills that are debated during my term as MP will consider workers’ voices,”
she said in an interview with IndustriALL.
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule France Ndessomin, said:
“We celebrate the election of Justina Jonas to the Parliament of Namibia. This is a double victory for workers' voices and for the representation of women in legislatures in Africa. She is a brilliant example of the success of our regional campaigns for gender equality and advancing women leadership.”
Her Excellency, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is Namibia’s first woman head of state and more than 50 per cent of her cabinet is composed of women. The vice president is Lucia Witbooi and eight of the country’s 14 ministers are women. Namibia’s parliament also has more than 40 per cent women MPs sitting in the house while Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, the speaker of Parliament, is a woman.