WALVIS BAY – Job security in Namibia’s wetland small pelagic fishing sector remains uncertain as hundreds of workers face possible retrenchment, adding to mounting job losses recorded since December last year.
In the latest layoffs, Gendev Fishing Group has notified the ministry of labour of a contemplated retrenchment of 489 employees on Friday.
The latest development could increase the total job losses to 1,100 since December last year, following the retrenchment of 611 workers by Princess Brand.
In a letter seen by New Era, Gendev, the horse mackerel processing company, informed the ministry and the recognised trade union, the Namibian Seamen and Allied Workers Union (Nasawu), of its decision. The company said the notice was issued to initiate a mandatory consultation process before any final decision is taken.
“At this stage, no final decision has been made, and this notice is issued in good faith to comply with the statutory requirement for consultation,” the company stated in a letter seen by New Era.
According to the letter, the contemplated retrenchment is due to sustained financial losses, reduced revenue, and increased operational costs.
Gendev also indicated that it is considering restructuring and reorganisation measures to improve the efficiency of the company. Supporting information will be shared during consultations to enable informed engagement with the union and affected employees.
If implemented, the retrenchment could affect employees across various departments, including production, logistics and service hubs, technical services, quality control, cleaning, human resources, payroll, finance, and sales. A detailed departmental breakdown will be presented during the consultation process.
Gendev further clarified that the Gendev Fishing Group operates under integrated operational, financial and organisational structures, meaning employees within Gendev Fishing Resource may be directly or indirectly affected by retrenchment processes undertaken by the group.
The company proposed that fair and objective selection criteria be applied, including last-in-first-out or skills-retention considerations, subject to consultation outcomes.
Wet-landed fish processing refers to fish that are caught, brought to shore, and processed in a factory, instead of being frozen at sea. This creates many jobs as value is being added in the factory.
Meanwhile, Princess Brand representative Adolf Burger, who was also retrenched last year, told New Era yesterday that the affected employees remain without income as uncertainty continues around the company’s fishing operations.
“Yes, we were in consultations with the ministry and the industry. Our workers are on standby and are also trying, through their union, to get support,” Burger said.
He added that cash flow has become increasingly difficult since the experimental fishing activities stopped on 31 October.
Burger said the experimental 200-metre isobar activity, which allowed fishing within a designated zone, had produced positive results over three years, with less than 1% juvenile catch and under 2% commercial bycatch.
“However, the agreement ended on 31 October, and it remains unclear whether the government will extend the project. It is devastating that our workers have been without an income since January, and a permanent solution must be found so that we can continue,” he said.
Concerned
Chairperson of the Wet-Landed Small Pelagic Association, Johny Doeseb, said the association noted the retrenchments with deep concern, describing them as a serious setback for the industry and the country’s employment landscape.
“These retrenchments are not isolated incidents but reflect sustained structural and operational challenges facing wet-landed, land-based processing companies,” Doeseb said.
According to him, the sector continues to suffer due to constrained access to raw material, policy-related challenges, and ongoing operational uncertainty.
He said the association engaged the line ministry in a two-day consultation, which he described as a positive step toward finding lasting solutions.
“The loss of jobs in an industry that has historically been a major employer is deeply concerning, particularly at a time of high unemployment. Seeing young people lose their jobs is heartbreaking,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna) president, Paulus Hango, yesterday told New Era that they are rejecting the retrenchments of Gendev as the company did not follow proper channels.
“They dropped off an unsigned letter to the union with unrealistic requests. However, we will engage them as well as the line ministry to fully investigate the matter,” he said.
However, efforts to reach the company were not successful.
But New Era learned that a meeting between Gendev and the labour ministry was expected to take place on Monday afternoon.
