Big fishing company sells ships and slashes workforce as catch collapses

ONE of the biggest fishing companies in Namibia is drastically cutting its operations on land and sea.Gendor Fishing Company has already sold some of its vessels and plans to dispose of more ships and reduce factory operations.

Meanwhile, the Namibia Seamen’s and Allied Workers Union (Nasawu) reports that around 800 seamen and fish-factory workers are being locked out by Gendor’s holding company NovaNam. Gendor spokesperson Dawid Mwadhina Pokolo, in a letter to Labour Commissioner Bro-Matthew Shinguadja, said the reduction in operations are caused by the current poor catching conditions in the fishing industry.He said the company is forced to reduce the number of freezer vessels in operation, which will inevitably affect factory operations on land.”The reduction is due to the company’s inability to secure the critical mass of resources to sustain operations of all vessels and factories,” Pokolo said.”The present catch is 50 per cent less than last year, which has made it impossible for the company to even cover fuel costs.”To prevent further financial losses which, according to Pokolo, have already reached dramatic proportions, “measures will have to be taken that will affect employees”.The apparent hard times being experienced by the NovaNam group of fishing companies came into the open at a Nawawu meeting on Tuesday.Union president Hango Paulus said day-shift employees of NovaNam have been unlawfully suspended and were told to leave the company premises on October 28 after questioning why they had not been paid in full for three months.Apparently they were instructed to return to work yesterday for possible disciplinary hearings.All night-shift workers were also sent on unpaid leave until November 14 and some day-shift employees have been sent on indefinite leave.Paulus said about 800 permanent workers have been affected.The reason given by NovaNam was that they would only resume catching on November 14, said Paulus.The policy of ‘no work, no pay’ that the company proposed was rejected by the union at a meeting on October 12, he said, since it is in violation of conditions of employment.According to Paulus, eight vessels of the company were taken out of operation without the crews being informed, paid or negotiated with.Several attempts to reach Gendor’s Pokolo by telephone for additional information were unsuccessful.Michael Tordesillas, group general manager of NovaNam, was reached at Luederitz by telephone but hung up immediately after saying the company was investigating the situation.Nasawu claims that NovaNam violates conditions of employment and wants to change conditions unlawfully by means of job rotation.The union on May 11 requested the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Alpheus Naruseb, to write to the Judge President of the High Court to appoint an arbitrator to negotiate payment of workers during the closing of the factory, but such a letter has not been written.Namibia Fishing Industry and Fisherman Workers Union President Daniel Imbili said on Tuesday that it is too easy for some large companies to bypass the labour law and employment agreements with legal savvy.”Lawyers are governing the country,” he said “and Government remains quiet when it comes to certain things,” Imbili said.”Who must we go and cry to?”Gendor spokesperson Dawid Mwadhina Pokolo, in a letter to Labour Commissioner Bro-Matthew Shinguadja, said the reduction in operations are caused by the current poor catching conditions in the fishing industry.He said the company is forced to reduce the number of freezer vessels in operation, which will inevitably affect factory operations on land.”The reduction is due to the company’s inability to secure the critical mass of resources to sustain operations of all vessels and factories,” Pokolo said.”The present catch is 50 per cent less than last year, which has made it impossible for the company to even cover fuel costs.”To prevent further financial losses which, according to Pokolo, have already reached dramatic proportions, “measures will have to be taken that will affect employees”.The apparent hard times being experienced by the NovaNam group of fishing companies came into the open at a Nawawu meeting on Tuesday.Union president Hango Paulus said day-shift employees of NovaNam have been unlawfully suspended and were told to leave the company premises on October 28 after questioning why they had not been paid in full for three months.Apparently they were instructed to return to work yesterday for possible disciplinary hearings.All night-shift workers were also sent on unpaid leave until November 14 and some day-shift employees have been sent on indefinite leave.Paulus said about 800 permanent workers have been affected.The reason given by NovaNam was that they would only resume catching on November 14, said Paulus.The policy of ‘no work, no pay’ that the company proposed was rejected by the union at a meeting on October 12, he said, since it is in violation of conditions of employment.According to Paulus, eight vessels of the company were taken out of operation without the crews being informed, paid or negotiated with.Several attempts to reach Gendor’s Pokolo by telephone for additional information were unsuccessful.Michael Tordesillas, group general manager of NovaNam, was reached at Luederitz by telephone but hung up immediately after saying the company was investigating the situation.Nasawu claims that NovaNam violates conditions of employment and wants to change conditions unlawfully by means of job rotation.The union on May 11 requested the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Alpheus Naruseb, to write to the Judge President of the High Court to appoint an arbitrator to negotiate payment of workers during the closing of the factory, but such a letter has not been written.Namibia Fishing Industry and Fisherman Workers Union President Daniel Imbili said on Tuesday that it is too easy for some large companies to bypass the labour law and employment agreements with legal savvy.”Lawyers are governing the country,” he said “and Government remains quiet when it comes to certain things,” Imbili said.”Who must we go and cry to?”