Seaflower casuals left without jobs

A group of 140 casual workers whose contracts were terminated by Seaflower in Lüderitz have pitched tents and vowed to camp near the factory until the Minister of Justice and Labour Relations, Wise Immanuel, comes to their assistance.


Some of the workers, who had been employed at Seaflower for more than seven years, were informed on 30 September by CEO Alex Gawanab that their services would no longer be required. “We will not leave here until our plight is addressed. We are calling on the minister to intervene on our behalf and resolve this issue with the management of Seaflower and the board of Fishcor,” the workers said. The group marched to the company on Wednesday and demanded to see Gawanab. They called on the CEO to explain why he would not be rehiring them after the shutdown period. They added that they had delivered a petition last week and had received no feedback. They wanted a written response to forward to the relevant ministries.


Austerity measures - Gawanab addressed the workers, saying the company was doing its best to convert some casual or fixed-term employees into permanent roles. “We have frozen a number of positions as part of our austerity measures in the past and are considering reopening at least 24 permanent positions to reduce the number of 104 casual employees, even though it is very difficult under the circumstances.”


Responding to the petition, Gawanab said that the document handed in two weeks ago had not been addressed to Fishcor but to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform. “I only just received the petition,” he said. He further emphasised that the company had not chased anyone away. “The contracts you signed are fixed-term contracts, which came to an end. There is no intention from us to renew them.”


Solution - Gawanab highlighted that the plight of the workers could only be resolved if the company were given the capacity to do so. “If we do not get the requisite quota to boost our production, there will be no possibility of accommodating these employees. To that effect, we have engaged the relevant authority to assist us – not only for employment purposes but also for our survival as a company. Until such time, there is not much we can do.”


He stressed that if there was no change in the company’s request, there would be no re-employment of casual workers. “I hope their plight – and our plight as a company – will be heard by the relevant authorities, and that this issue will be resolved positively after the shutdown period.” Gawanab also explained that any future employment would depend on the availability of quotas and the company’s ability to increase production. “We will accommodate employees on a needs basis. We spend the bulk of our revenue on legacy expenditure, which is not taking us forward. That is why we have asked for support, so we can close those gaps and reinvest our revenue in company operations.”


Change your stance - The regional coordinator for the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (NAFAU), Mateus Simon, said the union was concerned about workers being “thrown into the streets”. “We are not going to allow this and need to understand the government’s position on the matter. We are also requesting that the CEO revise the company’s stance on this issue. The Minister of Justice issued directives pointing out that a person cannot work for seven years on a temporary basis and should be considered a permanent employee. We are waiting to see whether quotas will be made available to the company – or in the name of the casual workers – to enable them to continue working.”