'Employ them by 28 Feb'

DTA President McHenry Venaani kicked off the first phase of a national march against unemployment with an emphasis on and in support of seafaring personnel, organised by his party on Wednesday in Walvis Bay. He reiterated a call made to government and the fishing sector earlier this year for an amicable solution to the impasse related to striking fishermen which has been dragging on for over a year now. He issued a 28 February ultimatum to government to ensure fired fishermen return to their posts. “It''s wrong that over 1 000 Namibian fishermen are left unemployed in the country of their birth and more than 30 000 of their relatives are suffering due to this. We know fishing companies employed temporary workers which are paid and earn less than those who are striking. Fishing companies should be awarded extended fishing quotas and catchment periods so that they are able to absorb dismissed fishermen without firing casual workers that were hired.” More than 300 striking fishermen and unemployed persons joined Venaani in the march to the offices of the labour ministry in Walvis Bay where a formal petition was handed over for the attention of the minister, Errki Nghimtina. The fishermen called on the minister to launch a wide-scale investigation and audit into labour practices in the fishing industry and to determine whether the industry corresponds with fair and acceptable working conditions as required by the Labour Act of 2007, the petition read.The minister was not present and the document was received by the chief arbitrator for the Erongo Region and head of administration Gertrude Usiku. The workers appealed to the minster to urgently intervene and enter into negotiations with relevant companies with the aim of ensuring the dismissed fishermen return to their jobs. The petition also calls for the fast-tracking of free vocational skills training and education provisions, as well as the introduction of permanent solutions which speak to the harsh economic and working conditions faced by fishermen. It also suggests that the National Planning Commission undertake a national skills mapping campaign to determine which skills are required by the labour market and to ensure that the education system is aligned to the needs of the market so that Namibian schools stop producing unemployable youth. Venaani announced that similar marches are also planned for Lüderitz, Oshakati and Rundu. “The fishing industry has for far too long been making profits amounting to millions of dollars for company owners.”According to Venaani more than 4 000 Spaniards are directly employed by the fishing sector. He said those other continents are benefiting from the Namibian fisheries resource while Namibians, who have toiled the seas and demanded better working conditions, are not being looked after satisfactorily. “Government does not want people to see there is a crisis and downplays the issue. The elite, which includes ministers, their wives and family members own fishing companies and are protecting their own stomachs.”He also lambasted the national broadcaster and said there appears to be a deliberate boycott, sabotage and interference to deny citizens information and an opportunity to be heard. “This is very disappointing. The national broadcaster survives on the taxes paid by citizens yet they are absent and apparently did not receive our invitation to cover this event.” OTIS FINCK

'Employ them by 28 Feb'

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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'Employ them by 28 Feb'

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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