Gendev Fishing Group has offered striking workers a revised pay proposal of 70% during non-operational periods as wage negotiations remain deadlocked.
The group is offering to pay 70% of the guaranteed 195 hours during periods when the company is not fully operational.
This development comes as Gendev employees continue their protected strike after failing to reach an agreement with management over their basic salary and other employment conditions.
Gendev managing director Rudy Rees has confirmed the revised offer, saying it was based on the company’s current financial and operational position.
“There the company is offering 70% of the basic salaries in the periods that the company is not fully operational. So should they not be operational during the month, the employees will only receive 70% of the guarantee. That was the latest offer,” Rees says.
The dispute centres on whether employees should receive the full guaranteed salary based on 195 hours, regardless of whether the company is fully operational.
Rees says the union is still demanding 100% of the guaranteed salary, but argues that Gendev cannot afford the demand under its current fishing conditions.
“We do not have substantial quota, and we only have the fishing area up until next year April where the fish is,” she says.
Rees says the company’s ability to meet the union’s demand depended on access to sufficient fishing quota and fishing grounds.
“Unless we receive a substantial amount of quota and the place to catch it, the union’s demands are not realistically possible in this situation,” she says.
She says the issue has been explained to the union and that further meetings are continuing.
The latest position follows a salary dispute that has been ongoing since July, when Gendev offered to increase the guaranteed monthly salary from N$2 960 for 98 hours to N$6 700 for 195 hours.
The company has described the proposal as a major improvement in guaranteed pay, while the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers’ Union has disputed the way the increase was calculated, arguing that employees should be paid for the full working hours.
The union has also raised concerns about allowances and alleged underpayment relating to sick leave, annual leave and public holidays.
The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations previously cautioned that employees should be given sufficient time to consider changes to their employment conditions and warned that an insufficient period could place workers under undue pressure.
Independent Patriots for Change Erongo regional chairperson Aloisius Kangulu recently visited striking employees and called for urgent dialogue between Gendev’s management, workers and their union.
“Workers must remain peaceful, disciplined and committed to their legitimate demands. However, management must also demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to compromise,” he said.
“We need a sustainable solution that protects both the welfare of employees and the continued viability of the company,” he said.
Kangulu also urged the labour minister to bring the parties together before the dispute escalates.
