Former-striking fishermen, also known as Okapare fishermen, expressed disappointment with the Government Employment Redress Programme.

Launched in 2020, the programme is an agreement by the Ministries of Fisheries and Labour as well as fishing companies to employ jobless fishermen in exchange for quotas.

The initiative secured about 2,500 jobs for those who lost their employment for various reasons, and Okapare fishermen are included.

Okapare Chairperson Gotfried Kahunga noted at a Walvis Bay media conference that the fishermen employed at Iyaloo Women Group have not been paid their full basic salaries for last month.

"We engaged in various meetings with the company management and came to an agreement of accepting what the company can offer for now, which was N$2,000, until the time they can pay the amount. The process affected us very badly, and our rents are outstanding, our children are going to school hungry, and we are emotionally, physically, and financially negatively damaged."

Kahunga further stressed that another group employed at Hangana is not pleased because the company allegedly failed to comply with the terms of the redress programme by not giving them sea jobs.

"We are fishermen and not fish processors and want to be treated and respected as such. There is a company who is willing to employ us permanently on their vessels at sea."

The Okapare fishermen added that another group working at Namfi and Rukatuka Investment requested the minister to move them to companies that are interested in actively employing them, but there was allegedly no response.

"We think that there are a lot of things that need to be solved in this redress programme. There are a lot of things that need answers, so we think that these things are not fair, and the company that recruits us is a small facility, and people are sharing PPE, so it means that it's not healthy, said Ruben Twamoneni. 

Another fisherwoman, Johanna Enkono, said, "We don't want to go back to a company that is not beneficial to us because the company made it clear in the last meeting we had that they cannot afford us, so how is it that the quotas were allocated to a company that cannot afford to reach out to the workers' demands and to the workers' benefits?"

In response, Iyaloo Women's Group representatives promised to hold a media conference on Monday.

Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Derek Klazen confirmed that the company was awarded additional quotas last week.

Regarding the concerns at Hangana, Klazen said 200 people got jobs at the company based on a Cabinet decision, but because there are no vessels, the fishermen are employed at the factory.

Klazen stressed that the Attorney General is working with the ministry as negotiations with fishing companies continue.

He urged companies that are interested in providing active jobs at sea to the fishermen to approach the ministry for consideration.