Eveline de Klerk
WALVIS BAY – Seacope Freezer Fishing, a joint venture between the Fishcor-owned Seaflower White Fish and Spanish fishing company Copemar, has not paid salaries to their 50 fishermen, whom they allegedly ditched without prior notice.
Seacope owns the Pemba Bay fishing vessel that employs the fishermen. The company catches the hake freezer quota allocated to Fishcor, but has failed to pay its seamen their June and July salaries.The fishermen also don’t know if they still have jobs, as the vessel had been anchored since March at Walvis Bay.
The fishing industry has been battling to adjust to escalating fuel prices in recent months, and has been forced to streamline operations as a mitigating measure and prevent job losses.
Some fishing companies earlier indicated that they might temporarily cease operations to regroup as the current fuel prices do not allow them to go out onto the fishing grounds. The frustrated fishermen are now appealing to the government to intervene as the company has stopped all communication with them or their union representatives.
The concerned fishermen said at a press conference on Monday at the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union offices that they returned on 28 March from the fishing grounds. “We were told that we have a week off, and will go back to the fishing grounds in early April. Our vessel, however, is still anchored, with the foreign crew still on board. The company cannot give us any explanation about what is happening,” shop-steward and crew member Nelson Ndaameshime said. According to him, their salaries for April and May were paid late after the union forced the company to pay them.
“We have been trying to get information from the company since March. We have written to the fisheries and labour ministers too. They also did not respond to our plight. We are not happy with the treatment. Our families are suffering due to the negligence of the company, and we are worried that we will lose our belongings due to non-payment,” he charged. Fishcor CEO Alex Gawanab on Monday told New Era that they are aware of the situation, and that Seacope is currently experiencing financial difficulties.
He said Fishcor is not in any way responsible for the payment of salaries as they are only providing administrative services to Seacope. “Our obligations are defined by our service agreement. We run the payroll administrating duties, but they are responsible for payments.
They are generating and managing their own income. We don’t see their income and losses nor administer it on a day-to-day basis,” Gawanab explained.
He then indicated that they would be discussing the joint venture this week.
“I will be in a better position to pronounce myself after the meeting”, he added. Fisheries minister Derek Klazen also said that he is aware of the situation, but that it has nothing to do with the ministry.
“It’s a matter between Fishcor, Seacope and Copemar. In fact, it is a labour matter,” he stated yesterday. Klazen indicated that he is ready to meet with the union once they arrange for a meeting through the labour minister, Utoni Nujoma. “We had a meeting scheduled earlier with the Nasawu- affiliated unionist Paulus Hango, but the meeting could not take place as he was out of town”, he added.
The ministers last month met with some fishing industry stakeholders to discuss the challenges in the fishing sector. “We can really see the industry is struggling, and should find a way to meet all stakeholders so that we reach an understanding to avoid job losses at all costs,” Klazen said during that meeting.