WALVIS BAY – Walvis Bay-based fishing company Etosha Fishing has been struggling to sell a horse mackerel quota that was allocated to them in March by the fisheries ministry.
The fishing quota was granted to the pilchards’ canning factory to preserve over 600 seasonal jobs that were affected by a moratorium on the harvesting of pilchards that has been in place since 2015.
Managing director of the company Nezette Beukes revealed this to New Era after they were put under pressure by their employees, who demanded permanent employment from the company this week.
Etosha has been importing pilchards from countries, such as Morocco, to sustain jobs after a decline in small pelagic stock that ultimately resulted in a moratorium being placed to allow the stock to recover.
However, frustrated employees criticised the company for giving them 12 months’ contracts, despite them not working for the full year.
“We are working for a period of one month and then we won’t work for the next months. We are also not paid if there is no work. The ‘no work no pay’ system is not doing us any good; hence, we want decent jobs,” a petition by the employees read.
As a result, the employees say their housing allowance fluctuates, making it impossible for them to afford their accommodation during the months they do not work.
“We are demanding better working conditions and salaries as any other fishing company in Namibia. Our house allowances must be fixed to N$936 every month and not based on the number of hours we work,” the workers said.
Beukes, however, said despite the difficulties the company faces, they have managed to create employment for at least seven months this year.
“Bear in mind the quota given to us by the fisheries ministry will only allow us to operate 44 days, which is roughly about two months. The quota was initially granted to us late, but we are grateful we got it. It shows we are getting somewhere,” Beukes said.
The company cannot also harvest the quota themselves, as they operate in the small pelagic sector that uses different equipment for harvesting.
The Namibian Seamen and Allied Workers Union president Paulus Hango also expressed concern over the continuous situation of Etosha, saying they on numerous occasions had tried to reach the minister to give attention to the issue.
“Imagine, Etosha is our only canning facility, and it should be granted more quotas to sustain jobs while we are waiting for the minister to pronounce himself on the pilchard’s moratorium,” Hango said.
According to Hango, the current quota allocation is simply not enough to sustain jobs at the company.