GERP employees want N$250 000 exit fee

WALVIS BAY – Fishermen employed under the Government Employment Redress Programme (GERP) are questioning the formula used by the government to determine the proposed N$96 000 ex-gratia payment.

The payment is offered to workers aged 55 and older and those opting to leave the programme.

The employees, who protested yesterday in Walvis Bay, are now demanding at least N$250 000 per employee as an exit fee from the government.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform earlier this month announced that the programme in the hake sector would end.

The letter, issued in September by the ministry and the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations and addressed several companies, followed a Cabinet decision that the programme was unsustainable.

“Following a comprehensive performance audit of the GERP, it was found that the programme is highly unsustainable and, therefore, a decision was taken to conclude the programme. As a result, your company is also required to formally notify the GERP employees of the conclusion of the programme,” Agriculture ministry Executive Director Teofilus Nghitila wrote in the letter to the hake industry. He also instructed the companies to follow the process for terminating employment contracts in accordance with the Labour Act.

However, the fishermen, represented by the Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union (MMMCWU), yesterday protested saying they have not been given a satisfactory explanation of how the amount was calculated and whether it adequately reflects their circumstances.

Speaking during the handover of a petition to the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations in Walvis Bay yesterday, chairperson of the Okapare fishermen, Godfried Kahunga, accused the government of shifting its responsibility to the fishing companies.

“The government must take responsibility for its programme, not shift its responsibility to the companies and create conflict between employers and employees,” Kahunga said.

He questioned how the fisheries technical team arrived at the amount, arguing that the proposed amount did not correspond with his calculations of what workers should receive.

The fishermen now want the government to disclose the formula, assumptions and information used to determine the proposed payment, as well as clarify whether it would replace or be separate from other employment-related entitlements.

They also raised concerns over their future employment prospects, possible retrenchments following the commercialisation of fishing quotas, and the proposed one-year protection period.

They are now appealing for the suspension of the programme to be paused so that meaningful consultations between the relevant ministers, as well as individual assessments of outstanding employment entitlements, can be carried out.

Union secretary general Joseph Garoeb also said workers were prepared to travel to Windhoek and stage a sit-in protest outside government offices if they did not receive satisfactory answers.

“The concerns of workers, many of whom were affected by the 2015 industrial action in the fishing industry, should be addressed before the programme ends,” he appealed.

According to him, the proposed payment should be transparently calculated and accompanied by clarity on outstanding grievances, employment opportunities and the responsibilities of the government and participating fishing companies.

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