Fiji Fish offers more redundancy packages

“We will be reduced to holding only our critical key employees, captains, chief engineers and critical production and management staff.”

Fiji Fish Limited said it had to empty fuel from its fleet of fishing boats to fill a vessel for a fishing trip.

“The only way we are able to get this one boat out to do a trip to top up our local sales stock, is to drain the fuel from all our boats and put it into this one to get a trip done,” said director Grahame Southwick. “When this fuel is gone, we have some hard decisions to make.”

His comments follow questions over redundancies within the company.

Fiji Fish sent home 280 workers as business came to a halt following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Southwick said it was a natural progression from the original stand downs as the situation for the industry worsened.

“In the first 280 stood down, there was a percentage that accepted leave without pay,” he said.

Hope

“They and we hoped that there may be some improvement and we could recall them at some point.

“With the recent confirmation that Australia and NZ were hesitant to allow tourists, the situation in our main markets,USA getting worse, and airlines not flying in the near future, apart from the straight cargo flight at triple the freight rate, the short and medium term future for the fresh, airfreighted fish trade is untenable.”

Worse

Mr Southwick said the economic situation would stabilise in 18 months or two years.

“But no company has the capacity to retain operations with zero income for this period without substantial support,” he said.

“Therefore, in fairness to those on leave without pay, we have offered redundancy packages which allows them then to look for alternative employment.”

Mr Southwick said the worsening situation would result in a second wave of stand downs.

“We will be reduced to holding only our critical key employees, captains, chief engineers and critical production and management staff,” he said.

Review

Fiji Fish will review its decision in a month to test its viability, Mr Southwick said.

“In the meantime, we have sent one vessel out to catch for the local market, such that it is, as we are running out of fish for local supply.

“It is unlikely that this will be a cost covering exercise without being able to export, but it is for the sake of ensuring domestic supply.