Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union secretary general Joseph Garoeb has called for an end to the division in the fishing industry.
Garoeb says it is time for the Namibian people to be empowered and for fish resources to be Namibianised.
Speaking at the annual fishing industry meeting at Walvis Bay on Friday, Garoeb called for the establishment of a national working committee that includes government, trade unions, employers and workers to guide and advise the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform with fairness, transparency and accountability.
He noted that the declining fish stocks, illegal and unregulated fishing, poor working conditions, the growing impact of climate change, and economic pressures must be resolved.
“The division we see in the fishing industry is man-made. It is built through favouritism, unfair quota allocations, and a system that continues to serve the privileged while leaving workers and the nation behind.
“It can also be changed by man. Namibianisation beneficiations must be ownership. It must be power in the hands of our people. We must support our local companies, empower our workers, and return control of our resources to Namibians,” he said.
Garoeb also called on employers to be accountable and ensure fair treatment of workers, adding that employees cannot secure housing, pursue training or plan for their children’s futures when their livelihoods hang on short-term contracts.
He urged for the redesign of government redress programmes to serve the workers, and for quotas to be issued directly to the employees, putting them in positions of shareholders, decision-makers, and builders of their own future.
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