Fishermen lodge complaint with ILO
Despite the protracted industrial action and amendments to the labour law, workers say conditions at sea have worsened.
Striking fishermen have lodged a complaint with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) accusing the Namibian government and fishing companies of forced labour and other human rights violations.
The workers, who have organised themselves as the United Fishermen of Namibia, gave the ILO notice in February of their intent to lay a formal complaint.
The complaint was made on 30 May.
The fishermen have been striking since October 2015 alleging gross irregular labour practices by fishing companies and unsafe environments.
President Hage Geingob has previously sympathised with the striking workers and after labour commissioner Bro-Mathew Shinguadja met with industry players, amendments were made to the Labour Act which stipulate that fishermen shall not work more than nine hours and not more than five hours overtime per day.
Chairperson and spokesman of the United Fishermen of Namibia, Mathew Lungameni, on Monday said working conditions have not changed since the amendment to the labour law.
The fishermen call the amendments to the labour law an “eye-blind”, a ruse, to deceive the international community and the ILO.
“The situation has worsened,” claimed Lungameni, saying scab workers that have temporarily replaced the striking fishermen are working with no benefits and are forced to work under conditions likened to the former contract labour system and worsening health standards.
Lungameni said these scab workers are forced to work 21 to 36 consecutive hours per shift, that no improvements were made in safety and other employment conditions, and that the temporary workers still do not get overtime and night allowances as referred to in the amended Labour Act.
He said the fishing companies have also in the meantime employed unqualified safety personnel. Worse still, the protracted industrial action has taken its toll on the personal lives of the striking workers. Eighteen of the striking workers have since died.
Two of these were suicides.
Many cannot afford their lives anymore.
Namibia is a co-signatory to the ILO Convention, which among others stipulate that the state “shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people”.
'It is a legal strike'
The workers maintain that their strike is legal because they have acted within their rights to withhold their labour due to unsafe working conditions.
They accuse the government of having acted as a “neutral arbiter” between the striking workers and fishing companies instead of enforcing compliance with the labour law.
This, they say, is because of clear conflict of interest because many government leaders and officials are shareholders in the fishing sector.
Lungameni said this has the effect that workers' demands for greater safety and better working conditions are being ignored by the government.
Catherine Sasman
The workers, who have organised themselves as the United Fishermen of Namibia, gave the ILO notice in February of their intent to lay a formal complaint.
The complaint was made on 30 May.
The fishermen have been striking since October 2015 alleging gross irregular labour practices by fishing companies and unsafe environments.
President Hage Geingob has previously sympathised with the striking workers and after labour commissioner Bro-Mathew Shinguadja met with industry players, amendments were made to the Labour Act which stipulate that fishermen shall not work more than nine hours and not more than five hours overtime per day.
Chairperson and spokesman of the United Fishermen of Namibia, Mathew Lungameni, on Monday said working conditions have not changed since the amendment to the labour law.
The fishermen call the amendments to the labour law an “eye-blind”, a ruse, to deceive the international community and the ILO.
“The situation has worsened,” claimed Lungameni, saying scab workers that have temporarily replaced the striking fishermen are working with no benefits and are forced to work under conditions likened to the former contract labour system and worsening health standards.
Lungameni said these scab workers are forced to work 21 to 36 consecutive hours per shift, that no improvements were made in safety and other employment conditions, and that the temporary workers still do not get overtime and night allowances as referred to in the amended Labour Act.
He said the fishing companies have also in the meantime employed unqualified safety personnel. Worse still, the protracted industrial action has taken its toll on the personal lives of the striking workers. Eighteen of the striking workers have since died.
Two of these were suicides.
Many cannot afford their lives anymore.
Namibia is a co-signatory to the ILO Convention, which among others stipulate that the state “shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people”.
'It is a legal strike'
The workers maintain that their strike is legal because they have acted within their rights to withhold their labour due to unsafe working conditions.
They accuse the government of having acted as a “neutral arbiter” between the striking workers and fishing companies instead of enforcing compliance with the labour law.
This, they say, is because of clear conflict of interest because many government leaders and officials are shareholders in the fishing sector.
Lungameni said this has the effect that workers' demands for greater safety and better working conditions are being ignored by the government.
Catherine Sasman
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