Fishers demonstrate against govt quota auction

Fisheries workers held a peaceful demonstration on Monday in Walvis Bay to protest the government’s planned auction of fishing quotas.

The group handed over three petitions to Erongo governor Nathalia /Goagoses.

Workers from Gendev and Tunacor also used the occasion to highlight their grievances.

They argued that selling quotas to the highest bidder is worsening working conditions in the industry.

Government has indicated it plans to auction the 6 232 quotas.

Moses Nakatana, a workers’ representative, explained that workers strongly condemn the auctioning of the fishing quota.

“The auctioning is contributing to the deteriorating conditions of workers in the fishing industry," he said.

"Many companies are not willing to continue increasing the number of permanent workers because of declining quota allocations, and some companies are now forced to buy fish on public auction to sustain employment.”

He added that many workers, particularly fixed-term contract workers, are not employed and have no guarantee of job security for the duration of their contracts.

“The original idea to auction off the quota was for the government to help the community during drought. It seems the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Finance have changed course and come up with something completely different, which is not regulated in any law.”

He also stated that the auctioning of quotas places government in direct competition with the industry it is meant to regulate and support.

“These auctions often allow non-Namibian-flagged vessels to participate, often undermining right holders and operators.”

Job losses

Aina Nampweya, a Gendev worker representative, said some employees have been left without contracts due to the lack of whitefish production since 2024.

“We have employees who have been working for more than eight years, but their contracts were not renewed due to no production.”

Nampweya added that workers have questioned why the company has not applied for fishing rights or quotas.

“They said they have been applying for whitefish rights at the relevant ministry, but the applications were not approved.”

Nampweya added that retrenchments at Gendev, which had been halted by the Ministry of Labour, were a major concern. A total of 489 employees had been identified for retrenchment.

“On 18 March, a memo was sent out stating that March salaries would be delayed due to financial difficulties, but no date was shared. Additionally, on 23 March, all permanent employees were sent home, including supervisors and some administration staff.”

The group urged President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to look into their grievances, "as our conditions of employment are deteriorating every day".

Undermining jobs

Anna Elago, representing Tunacor employees, added that the auction system undermines the transition of long-term employees into permanent, secure positions.

“Auctions favor those with the highest bid, often at the expense of established local companies that carry the burden of maintaining thousands of Namibian jobs.”

She said uncertainty in quota allocation affects companies’ ability to plan and retain staff.

“Auction systems prevent companies from knowing their future capacity without a guaranteed quota. We call on the government to stop auctioning quotas and instead allocate them directly to companies that have vessels and established workforces.”