The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) held a demonstration outside Sea Harvest’s offices on Wednesday, July 31, to highlight the need for safety in the fishing industry.
The picket was in honour of the 11 fishermen who died when the MVF Lepanto sank off the coast of Hout Bay.
The trade union is calling for the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) to publicly release its report once it has completed the investigation into what led to the sinking of the vessel, 63 kilometres off the coast with 20 crew on board, on May 19.
Cosatu spokesperson Zanele Sabela said in a statement that the union is “deeply saddened by the silence that has developed around the 11 fishermen”, who sank to their deaths aboard the fishing vessel.
“Nine were rescued, but 11 were lost at sea and eventually presumed drowned when the search was called off. Their bodies have never been recovered,” Sabela said.
She said the union hosted the demonstration at Sea Harvest’s Waterfront offices in Cape Town “to highlight the plight of these fishermen and the critical need for stringent safety measures in the fishing industry”.
“Whilst Cosatu is anxious to find out the cause of the accident that resulted in the loss of lives of these workers, the investigation is still ongoing. We call upon Samsa to fast-track the investigation without compromising its integrity, to afford the families of the fishermen a sense of closure,” Sabela said.
“Once the report is finalised, Cosatu urges Samsa to release it publicly for the sake of transparency and to promote compliance to safety and health regulations in the industry. We hope the outcome of the probe will not point to any form of negligence or non-compliance to occupational health and safety regulations by the employer,” she said.
Sabela said the maintenance and service history of the MVF Lepanto, as well as the living conditions of workers inside the vessel would be of particular interest to the federation when the report is released.
“We also eagerly await Samsa’s recommendations to ensure a disaster of such magnitude never happens again,” Sabela said.
“Cosatu expects Sea Harvest to ensure the families of the fishermen are fully compensated for their loss, and that the nine who survived the ordeal are provided with ongoing counselling at the company’s expense,” she said.
The International Labour Organisation describes the fishing occupation as more hazardous than firefighting or mining because there is no clear separation between work and personal time.
“Many fishers work and live in the vessel, in cramped and congested conditions. Plus, there may be long periods when they are away from home. It is for these reasons that employers are charged with the responsibility of ensuring fishing vessels are safe and fit for purpose,” Sabela said.
