Retrenched Grape Valley workers in protest

SEVERAL retrenched workers of Grape Valley Management Company at Aussenkehr have blocked office entrances since Thursday in protest of recent job cuts.

This has prevented company workers not affected by the 164 job cuts from continuing with their daily duties. The blockade was still in progress yesterday, The Namibian learnt.Meanwhile meetings were being held between shop stewards, management and senior Police officers.Six companies – International Grape Company, Exotic International Namibia, Nivex Enterprises, Namibian Grape Export, Orange River Vineyard Investments and Grape Valley Packers – resort under the Grape Valley Management Company at Aussenkehr, which is situated 360 kilometres southwest of Keetmanshoop.General Manager of Grape Valley Management Andre Vermaak confirmed the blockade.However, he said that no injuries were reported and Police were monitoring the situation.Vermaak appealed to the retrenched workers to stay calm.He said all affected workers received retrenchment packages on Friday.He noted that restructuring negotiations between the company and Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) started three months ago and workers had been informed in advance about restructuring.In a letter in possession of The Namibian, Nafau urged retrenched workers to stop the blockade “at least now”.Nafau also expressed dissatisfaction about workers who had accepted their retrenchment packages.They claimed no common ground had yet been reached between the company and the union.The letter reads: “If they were going to accept the company’s offer, why was it necessary then for them to strike instead of just agreeing with the company offers.This clearly contravenes what the union is trying to fight for.”Vermaak said the company regretted the job cuts, but no restructuring would mean the company would be forced to close its doors.He told The Namibian that the job cuts were necessitated by the decline in business and the depreciation of the US dollar against the Namibian dollar.”We had a good harvesting season, however the prices we received for our product is less in relation to the costs we incurred,” he said.According to Vermaak, redundant grape exporters fuelled the situation in which the grape industry found itself, coupled with the volatile international money market.”Redundant grape exporter’s nearly caused the downfall of the grape industry in Chile some years ago, and only with the slashing of exporters was the situation rescued,” he said.Currently 259 exporters, most of them based in South Africa, were operating in the grape industry in relation to the three million tonnes of grapes in Namibia and 40 million tonnes in South Africa that are exported annually.Vermaak said that financial assistance was requested from Government to rescue the sinking grape industry, but they had not received any feedback.”Government subsidises maize crop producers, why not the grape industry too?” he asked.The blockade was still in progress yesterday, The Namibian learnt.Meanwhile meetings were being held between shop stewards, management and senior Police officers.Six companies – International Grape Company, Exotic International Namibia, Nivex Enterprises, Namibian Grape Export, Orange River Vineyard Investments and Grape Valley Packers – resort under the Grape Valley Management Company at Aussenkehr, which is situated 360 kilometres southwest of Keetmanshoop.General Manager of Grape Valley Management Andre Vermaak confirmed the blockade.However, he said that no injuries were reported and Police were monitoring the situation.Vermaak appealed to the retrenched workers to stay calm.He said all affected workers received retrenchment packages on Friday.He noted that restructuring negotiations between the company and Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) started three months ago and workers had been informed in advance about restructuring.In a letter in possession of The Namibian, Nafau urged retrenched workers to stop the blockade “at least now”.Nafau also expressed dissatisfaction about workers who had accepted their retrenchment packages.They claimed no common ground had yet been reached between the company and the union.The letter reads: “If they were going to accept the company’s offer, why was it necessary then for them to strike instead of just agreeing with the company offers.This clearly contravenes what the union is trying to fight for.”Vermaak said the company regretted the job cuts, but no restructuring would mean the company would be forced to close its doors.He told The Namibian that the job cuts were necessitated by the decline in business and the depreciation of the US dollar against the Namibian dollar.”We had a good harvesting season, however the prices we received for our product is less in relation to the costs we incurred,” he said.According to Vermaak, redundant grape exporters fuelled the situation in which the grape industry found itself, coupled with the volatile international money market.”Redundant grape exporter’s nearly caused the downfall of the grape industry in Chile some years ago, and only with the slashing of exporters was the situation rescued,” he said.Currently 259 exporters, most of them based in South Africa, were operating in the grape industry in relation to the three million tonnes of grapes in Namibia and 40 million tonnes in South Africa that are exported annually.Vermaak said that financial assistance was requested from Government to rescue the sinking grape industry, but they had not received any feedback.”Government subsidises maize crop producers, why not the grape industry too?” he asked.