Former Heinaste and Namsov fishermen have approached the agriculture ministry to intervene in their demand for salaries owed across five months from companies selected to offer the government employment redress programme (Gerp).
The re-employment of people was made possible by the allocation of 18 370 tonnes of hake and 16 500 tonnes of horse mackerel to selected fishing companies last year.
This comes after the group, through the Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union, handed over a petition to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform.
“For the past five months, the fishing workers have not been paid by the companies who received fishing quotas by the government to employ fishermen under Gerp. We know how much they make from these quotas so what we want is to negotiate better payment for the workers,” Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union secretary general Joseph Garoeb says.
The fishermen were retrenched between 2015 and 2019.
He says following numerous failed attempts to address the situation, the fishermen last year entered an agreement with Blue Chromis Fishing Pty where they take home N$8 400, compared to between N$1 200 and N$4 000 by Hangana Sea Food, Iyaloo Women Investment, Merlus Fishing and Novama Fishing.
In their petition, they are now demanding a back pay of their salaries for the past five months or a redirection of these quotes to their preferred company – Blue Chromis.
According to Garoeb, Blue Chromis offers housing allowance, pension and share-based fish commission.
The group is also demanding that the 2025/26 fishing season be officially transferred with formal designation agreements signed prior to quota releases without delay.
They further propose an independent body involving workers’ representatives, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the police and labour experts to investigate irregularities in the redress and quota allocation programmes.
“These workers are suffering socially, mentally, emotionally and physically. If no satisfactory response is provided by Friday, 8 August, we will escalate our appeal to the Office of the President,” Garoeb says.
He says although Cabinet made progressive decisions in July 2020 to support the fishermen, workers remain with no work and no pay contracts, while quotas worth millions have been granted to briefcase companies that are not active nor profitable.
Last year, the same group proposed that they should receive their retirement packages from their employers and do away with Gerp, claiming it was being run on a ‘who you know’ basis.
GERP FLOPS
Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union chairperson Immanuel Petrus says those responsible for Gerp have failed to uphold good governance, displaying arrogance toward workers.
“The designation agreement was violated, as quotas were allocated before employment contracts were signed, which is contrary to policy,” he adds.
Petrus says the matter dates back a long time and, to this day, a solution has not been found. While acknowledging the government’s efforts, he believes the Gerp should not have existed, as companies were always going to exploit workers desperate to look after their families.
Former Namsov employee Lukas Showa yesterday said they do not have faith in Gerp anymore, as their lives have been miserable, and there is uncertainty around if they will be paid or not.
“The back pay in question, these companies want to pay us half and we refused such payment. We want our unpaid five months in full. If they cannot, they must redirect those quotas to Blue Chromis who has assured us they would pay our five months’ back pay,” he said.
Showa said they are tired of being pushed around, and want decent wages.
He revealed that the vessel is expected to come in October.
An Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report on Gerp released on Monday, says since the programme came into place in 2020, worker grievances have escalated, with unions and civil society raising concerns over exploitation, lack of benefits and poor oversight.
The report says Gerp failed to reach a significant portion of affected workers. Many former fishermen report being excluded from opportunities or receiving only short-term placements that did not restore economic stability.
In 2022, the government conducted compliance reviews of designated companies and some companies were found to be violating employment terms.
A select parliament committee also investigated employment conditions under Gerp and in 2023, renewed quota allocations were made with stricter designation agreements.
GERP IS JUST SYMBOLIC
The IPPR report cites that Gerp is widely perceived as symbolic rather than substantive, offering limited relief and failing to address the structural damage caused by Fishrot.
Workers also question the fairness and transparency of how Gerp opportunities were allocated, citing favouritism, lack of clear criteria and inadequate communication, as well as voicing allegations of corruption in job placements.
“Some felt that political favouritism or bureaucratic inefficiencies undermined the programme’s credibility,” reads the report.
It further notes that this has undermined trust in both the programme and the institutions behind it.
Due to these failures, the report states that Gerp highlights the need for stronger institutional safeguards, including whistleblower protection, anti-corruption enforcement and civil society engagement in recovery processes.
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