Wildcat strike hits fishing industry

Striking fishermen are adamant that they will not return to their posts on vessels until the government intervenes and addresses a number of issues pertaining to their conditions of employment and their call for better wages. The fishermen are members of the Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction (MMMC) union, which is affiliated to the Namibian National Labour Organisation (NANLO) A source in the industry commented that it was common knowledge that a strike by seafaring personnel would adversely affect the industry. “The hake season closed in October and is due to recommence on November 1. Companies will continue to incur expenditures should issues not be resolved and vessels remain docked. This will have a huge impact on factories and the economy of the country,” a fisherman said. The workers marched to the offices of the Ministry of Industrial Relations and Employment Creation in Walvis Bay yesterday and demanded a response to a petition attached to a 48-hour ultimatum that they had handed over on Monday. Gertrude Usiku, the head of administration at the ministry’s Walvis Bay office, met four union representatives and informed them that she had forwarded the document to the permanent secretary in Windhoek and it was noticed that the submitted petition was incomplete. It had no return address, was not signed, and did not have any names attached to it. “This might have led to the delay in response from the permanent secretary, Bro-Mathew Shinguadja, and I advise you to directly contact the PS for feedback,” she said. Thereza Hetwali, district organiser for MMMC, denied this. She said Shinguadja had acknowledged receipt of the petition and said he was in Ongwediva and not in a position to respond. According to her, Shinguadja promised to get back to Immanuel Petrus, the chairperson of MMMC. Usiku urged the representatives to instruct the workers to return to work, as they might lose their jobs. “Your concerns of your rights being infringed, not receiving overtime pay and demanding a living wage are valid. “You are, however, facing possible dismissal for not reporting to work and participating in an illegal strike. “Unions should not misuse workers in their power struggles. The leadership should inform the members accordingly of the consequences of this unlawful action and opt for proper procedures. Arbitration “Bring your case to the ministry. Refer the matter for dispute on an LC 10 form. Arbitration and conciliation should end this stalemate. This process will take 30 days and within two weeks’ time you will be afforded a sit-down opportunity.” According to Hetwali, that does not always work because the union has a large number of pending cases with the Ministry of Labour and the seafarers’ issue has been on the table for quite some time now. Usiku explained that the ministry initiated talks and met with three unions (Namibian Seamen and Allied Workers Union - NASAWU, Namibian Fuel and Allied Workers Union –NAFAWU, and the Namibian Fisheries Institute - NFI) in 2014. An agreement was reached in terms of which the unions opted for commission instead of overtime pay. MMMC, which claims to represent more than 95% of the fishermen, was not in attendance because it is not a recognised union. The Labour Act stipulates that companies are given a three-month grace period in which to inform recognised unions to regain lost membership before proceedings are initiated to recognise a new union. The unions present were not happy with certain issues resolved in 2014 and the drafted agreement was subsequently not concluded. A follow-up meeting was held from October 20 to 23 and a request by workers to allow MMMC to participate as a registered union was granted. MMMC then announced that it would embark on strike action after the last meeting due to the impasse relating to certain workers’ issues. The chairman of Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations, Matti Amukwa, accused the unrecognised union of organising strike action as part of its recruitment drive and pointed out that such strike would be illegal. “The industry wants to make it pertinently clear to all stakeholders that an illegal strike shall be treated in terms of the law and organisational disciplinary codes and all industry operators shall follow a set procedure to illegal striking employees,” wrote Amukwa. The strikers say they are organising a mass trip to the labour ministry headquarters in Windhoek so that they can get a personal response from the minister. Their representatives have informed the police commander of Walvis Bay and Erongo Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua of their intention. The fishermen rejected a recent statement issued by Paulus Hango, the president of NASAWU, that they earn basic salaries of between N$11 000 and N$18 000. They produced pay slips indicating monthly earnings ranging from N$2 500 to N$5 000. Yesterday afternoon, at an urgent press conference, the secretary-general of the National Union of Namibian Workers, Job Muniaro, called on all members not to join the wildcat strike. OTIS FINCK