Cape Verde’s Maritime Minister Abraan Vicente said today the government was monitoring with “concern and attention” the situation at canning company Frescomar, which union leaders said has laid off 200 employees due to a shortage of raw materials.
“We are watching this situation with some concern about the jobs in question, but it is important that unions do not hand over the labor responsibilities they are supposed to protect to the government,” he said on the island of Sao Vicente, on the sidelines of a meeting with fishing ship owners.
Abraan Vicente said the government had collected “the necessary information,” noting that “there have been no cases of collective dismissals yet.”
“I believe that about 500 workers will remain at home due to the lack of raw materials,” he noted, adding that “we are now in a transition phase, during which we wait for another two-year retreat, for which we hope to be ready.” in February – which, in a sense, must have reached some kind of impasse.”
The temporary derogation from the rules of origin provides for a reduction in tariffs on a number of goods imported by EU countries, which has happened almost every year since 2008.
The decline in Cape Verde’s national fishing capacity is forcing the Cape Verdean processing industry to import some of the raw materials for these canned products, tuna, mackerel and honey.
The derogation granted by the European Union allows canned food produced in Cape Verdean factories to be taken into account, even if part of the fish is imported as originating in Cape Verde, within the quantity limits.
“We await with caution and great attention” the development of the situation in Frescomar, which operates on the island of São Vicente, he concluded.
Before entering a meeting with fishery owners from the island of São Vicente, Abraan Vicente said they needed “access to preferential lines of credit for the purchase of tuna vessels and other infrastructure” because “it is very important that there be large fishing capacity.” on the part of national shipowners.”
“It’s easy to say, but not easy to implement: the national fishermen’s cooperative itself has presented an ambitious project, which we are having difficulty implementing with the banks,” he added.
According to the official, “this requires hard work: I hope that this year we can open up other opportunities for the sector,” he concluded.
The president of the Union of Industry, Food, Civil Engineering and Services (Siacsa), Gilberto Lima, told Lusa today that 200 service providers have already been informed by Frescomar that the cooperation will not be renewed and that 165 are awaiting results. in the house.
Frescomar is a Cape Verdean and Spanish limited liability company engaged in fish processing and marketing, whose main market is Europe, and whose fish were supplied by another company, Atunlo, which is in the process of closing down in its place of origin, Spain. and also in Cape Verde.
Siaxa called a meeting of Frescomar workers in Mindelo, Sao Vicente, on Friday.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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