Renthia Kaimbi
A new agreement in Lüderitz will see temporary workers gain permanent employment under a new three-year wage agreement.
Eighty-five land-based employees and 31 seagoing staff will be converted from temporary to permanent status each year until 2027.
The agreement was signed between Novanam (Pty) Ltd, Lalandii (Pty) Ltd and the Namibian Seamen and Allied Workers Union after nearly 11 months of negotiations.
The minister of Justice and Labour Relations, Fillemon Wise Immanuel, chaired the talks and confirmed the deal.
It covers land-based employees in Lüderitz and seagoing staff on the wet fish and Walvis Bay-based freezer fleets.
The agreement takes effect on 1 November 2024 and runs until 31 October 2027.
All land-based and seagoing workers will receive a 6% salary increase each year. The basic daily rate of N$226.33 for fishers has been converted to a stable monthly salary. It will rise from N$6 237.38 in the first year to N$7 008.32 by the third year.
Other benefits were also secured. The housing allowance will grow from N$640 per month to N$840 per month by 2027.
The annual bonus will increase from 12 days’ pay in the first year to 14 days’ pay in the third year. Seagoing staff will see more paid overtime, rising from 2.5 hours to 3 hours per sea day in the second year. Commission rates for catches, including hake, bycatch and processed fish, will rise by 4% each year.
Immanuel said the deal shows the importance of dialogue in addressing industrial disputes.
“These negotiations were close to 11 months. When the news reached me that there was an industrial strike looming in Lüderitz… I did not sit back. Again, as part of our commitment to ensuring harmonious industrial relations in our country, I went and witnessed for myself what was happening, assessed the situation on the ground and engaged the parties,” he said.
He added that the government remains committed to ensuring workers’ voices are heard and their challenges addressed.
