WALVIS BAY – A Walvis Bay-based fishing company this week suspended the entire crew of one of its longline vessels after the 23 members complained of working conditions on board the Lunan Bay vessel.
The Abroma long-line fishing crew pleaded with the company to reduce their workload, according to a letter seen by New Era. The seafarers say they have been subjected to long working hours that are compromising their health and safety on the vessel.
They have been working for Abroma Fishing for the past three years, but said their working conditions have become unbearable since December last year.
Long-lining is a fishing method that involves setting out a large number of short lines carrying hooks, which are attached to a longer main line at regular intervals. The short lines are suspended horizontally at a predetermined depth with the help of surface floats.
Main lines can reach 150 kilometres in length, and have several thousand hooks. According to the crew members, they suffer fatigue and experience swollen feet as their bodies don’t get enough rest on the vessel.
Their trips at sea last about nine days, and they allegedly sometimes have to return immediately to the fishing grounds, instead of getting a few days off to rest. Speaking on behalf of the suspended crew, Ndeipanda Kapolo yesterday said their shifts sometimes start at 11h00 in the morning and last until 06h00 the next morning.
“As a result, we suffer fatigue, and our feet become swollen. These long hours also influence our concentration, which is a safety issue for us. We have already approached the company to look into the matter,” he added. Another fisherman explained that in an earlier consultation with the company, the workers asked for two more people to be employed. They said the company initially agreed, but made a U-turn on the decision as it was too costly. “They say it would cost a lot of money as they would need to change a lot of things on the vessel,” said the fisherman, who requested anonymity. According to the fishermen, Abroma allegedly agreed to reduce the workload so that they could cope. New Era reached out to the company yesterday, but was told that the management was engaged in an important meeting. Petrus Uili, a shop-steward, said they initially handled about 338 bins of lines, but after the company agreed, it was reduced to 215.
“Work was wonderful and our hours were normal…until the skipper added additional containers of lines in December last year,” Uili stated. According to him, they discussed the issue with the skipper on their last trip as there was a lot of fatigue among the crew. They were, however, told to take it up with the company.
“We waited until we returned, and approached our human resources department to mediate between us. We did not stop work, but we asked that we resolve it before we go back to the fishing grounds. The company, instead of addressing the matter, sent the security to ask us to disembark the vessel,” he said.
The under-fire workers received their suspension letters on Monday. According to them, the company recruited new people, and the vessel left for the fishing grounds.
A letter seen by New Era states that employees have been suspended until further notice, pending an investigation into their alleged misconduct.
“During your period of suspension, you will not be permitted on the company premises, unless written permission has been given by a senior member of management,” read the suspension notice. “You will be notified of the charges, if any, in due time, and be served with a notice to attend a disciplinary hearing. Further, take note that your suspension is with full pay, and that you are still an employee of Abroma. Therefore, we reserve the right to notify you to resume your duties.”
‘Unfair’
Meanwhile, Immanuel Festus of the Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union yesterday said employees at sea are only allowed to work at least 14 hours.
Festus explained that the Labour Act also makes provision for an employee to leave a place of work that he or she feels unsafe or unhealthy to continue working in, and to immediately notify the employer of the reason for believing it is unsafe or unhealthy to continue working.
“At the moment, we have written to the company, asking for an immediate meeting as this is a matter of urgency that involves occupational health and safety,” he said.