Employees from two fishing companies, represented by the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union (NASAWU), have submitted a petition to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources seeking improved working conditions and union representation.
The employees of Etosha Fishing handed over their petition to the ministry at Walvis Bay on Tuesday.
They, through the Shopsteward, Johannes Nghinamanu, expressed their concerns about being employed on a ‘no work, no pay’ basis, which means that those who only work one week per month lose out on decent salaries.
“The working conditions at Etosha are terrible as we work with no benefits such as fixed salaries, housing allowance or pension fund and management always blames this on the lack of fishing quotas. Some workers are now sleeping on the streets because they are unable to pay for accommodation,” Nghinamanu revealed.
The petition also called for the provision of fishing quotas to Etosha Fishing to enhance employees’ salaries and the establishment of a trust fund to support them during periods of limited work availability.
Additionally, the employees have requested a meeting with their management to discuss retrenchment packages for approximately 500 employees.
These retrenchments were announced due to a moratorium on pilchard harvesting in Namibian waters. Despite efforts by NASAWU to secure a meeting in accordance with the Labour Act 11 of 2007, no progress has been made.
In a separate petition, Tunacor Fisheries employees demanded the right to union representation, as the company currently does not allow it.
“This practice is not fair and many employees have since been retrenched as there was no one to represent them during hearings. We should therefore be allowed to be represented by their unions,” Shopsteward Hileni Ndeshaanya, expressed.
The petitions were received by Steven Ambambi, the Director of Technical Services in the fisheries ministry, on behalf of the minister, with assurance that they will be duly addressed.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency