Workers of Gendev Fishing are accusing the company of low pay, citing that they are only getting paid for four and a half hours per day.
They revealed this during a demonstration outside the company's premises on Monday.
According to the workers, Gendev Fishing has been holding off on paying their full pay for over four months now.
Employee Chris Shishoona read the petition. "The company management continues to pay the workers a starvation salary for only four and a half hours, which violates section 12 of the Labour Act 11 of 2007. This section prohibits employers from paying employees for less than three months at this short-hour rate. We demand that this practice come to an end."
The workers accuse the company of violating an agreement between the union and Gendev Fishing that requires workers to get fully remunerated for nine hours if they have worked for six hours.
"The management is also making many things very difficult for the workers. If Gendev fishing workers go on sick leave, the company only pays a worker for four and a half hours. The Labour Act does not require the employer to pay for four and a half hours if a worker is on sick leave. This is a clear violation of the law."
The President of the Namibian Seamen and Allied Workers Union, Paulus Hango, said the union has declared a dispute with the labour commissioner, and if the issue is not resolved, the workers will down tools.
"We are only now waiting for the date to be set so that all the issues which affect Gendev must be discussed there and use other platforms, and if nothing happens, there is going to be an industrial action at this company, and I think that the directors and the message must go to each and everybody that if the things are not resolved, the workers of Gendev are going to down tools until such a time that all the issues are resolved because they have been going through many problems."
The company has been given five working days to resolve the issues.
The petition was received by the Acting Managing Director, Ruby Rees of Gendev Fishing.