Namibia: Fishermen's Protest to Resume Pending Presidential Confirmation

Joseph Garoeb, general secretary of the Mining Metal Maritime and Construction Workers Union, spoke on Sunday. He said fishermen's protests under the government redress programme (Gerp) will continue. They are waiting for confirmation from the Office of the President about a time and date.

The protest began on May 9 in Walvis Bay. Over 1,000 fishermen plan to walk to Windhoek. Their goal is to demand better working conditions and unpaid salaries.

In response to the protest threat, two ministers met with fisheries industry stakeholders in Walvis Bay on Friday. Justice and Labour Relations Minister Wise Immanuel attended, along with Agriculture Minister Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi.

Some employers promised to improve wages and working conditions. Others pledged to hire more fishermen. About 200 Helgoland employees returned to work on Monday.

However, Garoeb expressed dissatisfaction with the ministries' actions. The union represents over 50% of workers in the Gerp program but was denied access to the meeting. Issues regarding Namsov and Heinaste employees were not addressed.

These employees have not received salaries for over seven months. The union wants them moved to Blue Chromis for urgent salary payments. Garoeb criticized a minister who prematurely informed media about happy fishermen returning to work.

He noted that Helgoland's workforce includes only 20 fishermen and 180 factory women. Not all 2,100 Gerp fishermen are currently active; only about 15% are at sea.