FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG – CHINA’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION USD 2.70 per day, which is well below the minimum daily wage of USD 7.32. There were also cases of unfair dismiss­als and the absence of safety representatives and officers at project sites. When the head of the Namibian police requested regional policy commanders tighten security around Chinese nation­als and their businesses in August 2021, MANWU mobilised its workers working for Chinese companies to protect them­selves at their workplaces. 220 It feared that, given the high number of labour cases of violence and harassment at Chi­nese workplaces, the directive would be used by Chinese employers against local workers. Before mobilising workers, MANWU unsuccessfully tried to raise the issue of violence and harassment at the workplace with the Chinese Embassy. In mining, too, workers face systematic victimisation from their employers and are usually too scared to step forward with their grievances for fear of further victimisation and even loss of employment, according to MUN. 221 In August 2022, MUN and the political movement Affirmative Repo­sitioning(AR) accused Chinese-owned Xinfeng Invest­ments 222 of poor labour conditions. The company alleged­ly did not provide adequate accommodation for workers: Some had to sleep two to a bed, others had to sleep on the floor. Female workers complained that they were made to live and sleep in close proximity to their male colleagues. The MUN and AR were not cooperating with one another. In fact, AR accused MUN of being too weak, as MUN was fighting with the mine to have the union recognised as the sole bargaining unit for the workers. 223 Similar accusations have been made by the Namibian Revolutionary Transport Union(NARETU), an independent trade union that has gained increasing attention in the mining sector since last year. While the Chinese Embassy in Namibia did not respond to the unions’ attempts to raise the issue of workplace vio­lence and harassment, the widespread coverage of Chinese labour law violations in the Namibian media apparently prompted the Embassy to raise the issue with the Chinese community. In May 2022, the Embassy published a post on its page on the Chinese microblogging service WeChat urg­ing Chinese citizens in Namibia“to abide by the law and to respect local customs”. 224 In the post, the Embassy listed Unionising in Chinese companies in Namibia “We always struggle with Chinese companies to get rec­ognition. When we get a majority of workers in a Chi­nese company behind us and apply for recognition of the union as an exclusive bargaining agent, they do what they can to delay the recognition process. Accord­ing to the labour provisions, the employer can take 30 days to respond to our request. In these 30 days, we may be waiting for nothing. After that, we can refer the matter to the Office of the Labour Commission. Then, it may take 3 months till we get an appointment with the Commission and 2 more months for mediation. Thus, al­together it can take a union 6 months before it can en­ter a Chinese company. If then the company doesn’t agree to our request, we again have to refer the matter to the Office of the Labour Commission, and then it may take again up go 6 months till we receive a Certificate of Unresolved Dispute. Only then are the workers legally al­lowed to go on strike – and this is when the Chinese managers start to move.” Interview with a Namibian unionist eight examples of transgressions committed by Chinese nationals in Namibia – including the use of firearms and trying to bribe the police. The post also addressed strikes, stating that“if a strike[is] carried out in accordance with the law, the company management must express the ut­most goodwill, which means not to threaten or to coerce workers, and not imposing disciplinary actions against workers on legal strike”. 225 The Embassy’s post was published only in Chinese and not in English and was thus clearly intended only for the Chi­nese community only. The wording, moreover, suggested that the Embassy’s primary concern was not the violation of workers’ rights; rather, it was worried about the poor publicity garnered through media reporting and the unions speaking out on clashes between Chinese managers and Namibian workers. In the words of the Embassy, these dis­agreements“harmed the image of the Chinese people”; hence, Chinese companies should avoid creating grounds for the Namibian public to criticise China. 226 220 Mobilises Members to Protect Themselves at Chinese Work­places.(2021). The Namibian, 1 August. https://namibian.com.na/ union-mobilises-members-to-protect-themselves-at-chinese-work­places/ 221 ine Workers Claim to Suffer Systematic Victimization.(2015) Na­mibia Economist, 26 June. https://economist.com.na/12205/head­lines/mine-workers-claim-to-suffer-systematic-victimization/ 222 infeng Investments(Pty) Ltd is a Namibian subsidiary company of Tangshan Xinfeng Lithium Industry Co.( 唐山鑫丰锂业有限公司 ). 223 Mine Caught Between AR and MUN.(2022) Eagle FM, 29 August. https://www.eaglefm.com.na/news/chinese-mine-caught­between-ar-and-mun-vice/ 224 E.(2022). Don’t Shoot Your Employees and Don’t Pay Bribes Are Among the Chinese Embassy in Namibia’s Recom­mendations on How Expatriates Should Behave Better. The China Global South Project, 5 April. https://chinaglobalsouth. com/2022/05/04/dont-shoot-your-employees-and-dont-pay­bribes-are-among-the-chinese-embassy-in-namibias-recommen­dations-on-how-expatriates-should-behave-better/; Chinese Em­bassy in Namibia(2022). Namibia: Chinese Embassy Releases Advisory Highlighting Common Consular Protection Cases with Recommendations for Chinese Companies Involved in Labour Dis­putes( 纳米比亚：中国使馆发布常见领保案例 就劳资纠纷提出建议 呼 吁当地侨胞企业遵纪守法 ). Business& Human Rights Resource Cen­tre, 5 July. https://www.business-humanrights.org/zh-hans/ 最新消 息/纳米比亚中国使馆发布常见领保案例-就劳资纠纷提出建议-呼吁当 地侨胞企业遵纪守法 . 225 Embassy in Namibia(2022). Namibia: Chinese Embassy Re­leases Advisory. 226 Ibid. 40