Fishermen under the Namibian government’s employment redressing programme (Gerd) were cautioned on Friday that the government worked hard to ensure their employment, and new opportunities will not be presented if neglected.
Fisheries minister Derek Klazen, after engaging fisheries and labour sector stakeholders at Walvis Bay, said the agreements are being signed with the companies.
“Unions and workers are not part of it. It is signed with companies to permanently employ a certain number of workers. If any worker leaves, it is seen as resigned. When a worker loses their job due to misconduct or they resign, that will mean the end of the participation.”
Labour minister Utoni Nujoma stressed the company’s right to hire other unemployed Namibians.
“It is allocated to try to solve the high unemployment rate. This is a gesture of the government to use the resources available for the benefit of all Namibians.”
Gerd aims to employ the fishermen who lost jobs in various ways since 2015, including Namsov workers, who experienced job cuts after the drastic reduction of horse mackerel quota allocations, and an estimated 1 000 fishermen who lost their jobs following participation in an illegal industrial strike.
Cabinet directed the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) to address the plight of the affected fishermen.
Then acting fisheries minister Albert Kawana engaged the affected fishermen, fishing companies, recognised labour unions, and the offices of the Erongo and //Kharas regions, respectively, on their re-employment.
Prospective companies made written proposals on the number of fishermen to be absorbed and the quantum of the required fishing quota. After analysis and negotiation, the fishermen were re-employed, but their respective employers who did not have actual jobs for them, instead gave them monthly unemployment benefits, which led to a mass resignation.
After unemployment verification, the fisheries ministry also discovered an additional 212 fishermen who lost their jobs after being abandoned by Saga Seafood Namibia’s vessels Saga and Geysir.
The Cabinet directed the ministry to embark on a transparent public process to appoint competent companies to employ workers, which began in November 2022 with a public call for interest.
The responses were evaluated, and recommendations reported back to Cabinet.