The Ministries of Fisheries and Labour signed an agreement with two fishing companies to re-employ part of the 1130 unemployed fishermen who lost their jobs eight years ago.
The signing comes after a few delays in the Attorney General’s office reviewing the contracts.
The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen, made the announcement during a media briefing at Walvis Bay.
These fishermen, who were previously employed by various fishing companies, lost their jobs as a result of their participation in an illegal strike.
Last year, the Cabinet directed the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to issue a public call for competent companies that could offer permanent employment to these workers.
Minister Derek Klazen stated that the recruitment process has already commenced following Cabinet’s approval of seven successful fishing companies to employ the fishermen.
Klazen indicated that the cabinet has approved Helgoland Fishing, Trilliant Investment, Iyaloo Women Investment, Rutaktuka Investment, Alhuhe Fishing, and Namfi Fishing Movebaai joint ventures to employ the fishermen.
Klazen added that once an agreement is signed, the companies are expected to pay the salaries of the fishermen by the end of this month with the backpay of July.
“This process has quite taken some time because there was a lot to look into as the cabinet erected the two ministers of labour and fisheries to do a transparent betting. We went through the process, as you know. As you know, this process started last year. At the end of last year, on December 7, the betting process closed down. There were seven companies that were selected and followed all the recommendations and all the requirements that were needed.”
The Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation, Utoni Nujoma, commended the efforts of the line ministries in addressing unemployment in the country.
“We are here again in Walvis Bay as a continuation of our signing agreement with the companies that have volunteered to assist our unemployed fishermen who were involved in the Okapale Strike. We have been sited with this very important exercise so that we get our people off the streets.”
Daniel Imbili, the representative of the Fishermen Workers Union, expressed his satisfaction with the latest development.
However, Imbili warned the fishermen not to allow history to repeat itself.
“I want to inform the nation that bears with the ministers because it is now time that the light on the end of the tunnel has started shinning and that we are happy that our workers are going to be happy as well as the employers that Rome was not built in one day and workers should also learn to be patient and give time for companies to grow.”
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