Fishermen face program termination

Fishermen facing the termination of the Government Employment Redress Programme say they are uncertain about their futures.

Johanna Enkono's concerns

Johanna Enkono, a worker at Hangana Seafood, says employees have spent years in the programme without clarity on what they stand to gain from it.

Uncertainty about future

The programme is coming to an end, but we did not benefit anything from it. We don't know what we're going to take home, we don't know what is the way forward for us.

“The programme is coming to an end, but we did not benefit anything from it. We don't know what we're going to take home, we don't know what is the way forward for us.”

Ruben Twamoneni's worries

Ruben Twamoneni of Aluhe Fishing says the planned termination is particularly worrying for workers aged between 55 and 60, many of whom still have families to support.

High unemployment concerns

He says the decision was being made at a time when unemployment was already high, making it difficult for workers who lose their jobs to find alternative employment.

Union demands

The Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union demands the government halt the termination process until outstanding issues are addressed.

Programme termination details

The programme was launched in late 2020 to reintegrate more than 2 000 former and retrenched fishermen into the workforce, particularly those affected by the 2015 illegal strike and the Fishrot corruption scandal.