Africa-Press – Namibia. Some players in the fishing industry say companies are using their employees to lobby for more quotas by threatening massive lay-offs if their demands are not met. This comes after Gendev announced on Friday its intention to retrench over 400 workers, citing the lack of quota.
However, shop steward Christof Shishoona said the company’s demands are excessive. “They claim they only received 3 300 metric tonnes, but now they want more quotas. They also want to fish in the 200-metre isobath,” he said.
Shishoona added that if the government meets Gendev’s demands, the board of directors and two senior employees should be removed from the company. Unionist Paulus Hango also raised concern on the issue on Tuesday, confirming that some fishing companies are indeed using their employees to mount pressure on the government for more quotas.
He said the fishing industry is currently facing challenging times with declining and migrating fish stocks that often push companies to come up with new ventures to maintain jobs.
According to Hango, the union has observed a trend whereby workers are used as pawns to secure quotas from the government under the guise of retaining jobs.
“Last year, the government allowed them to fish within 200 metres. However, from January to June, they hardly operated,” he stated. Hango expanded that after being granted the right to catch within the restricted zone, the employment conditions of some workers never changed.
“Workers only worked three, four, five, or 10 days a month. Salaries were poor, and they earned very little, with some without basic benefits,” he said.
He added that the government should not allow itself to be held at ransom by rogue industry players. Instead, he said, the government must always prioritise employees’ wellbeing.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of Namibian Fishing Industries’ chairperson Matti Amukwa, told New Era that the industry has been opposing fishing in restricted areas.
“It’s not good for anyone to lose jobs, but allowing them [to fish] in that zone will affect the whole industry, not just the wet-landed,” Amukwa explained.
Amukwa continued that most companies providing quality employment operate under difficult circumstances without laying off workers. Fishing in the restricted area is not the answer. I hope all avenues are explored to safeguard jobs, he said.
Not true
Gendev board chairperson Paulina Haindongo denied the claims, stating that they only received “3 351 MT of wet-landed quota for the year 2026.” “Our vessels and factory have a catching, landing, processing and freezing capacity of 45 000 MT per annum. It is therefore impossible to sustain employees, vessels and a factory of such magnitude (45 000 MT capacity) with the quota we received.
According to her, the claims that they are using workers are unfounded. “It is not true that the company is using employees to force the government to give the company more quotas. Provide us with the evidence where the company instructed the employees to pressure the government on quotas.”
On hold
Meanwhile, the minister of labour relations, Wise Immanuel, on Tuesday evening indicated that the planned retrenchments at Gendev had been placed on ice.
“We urged Gendev’s board to pause the retrenchment process until all stakeholders are consulted and alternative solutions considered,” he said.
Suggestions were also made that quotas be directly allocated to employees; however, the minister indicated that the idea is legally and ideologically wrong.
“It cannot be entertained and must be discouraged across the industry,” he said.
The minister was expected to meet the agriculture minister on Wednesday to discuss the recently announced quota allocations and their impact on job security in the fishing sector.
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