Cape Town - After the lives of 11 Sea Harvest workers were lost at sea, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has requested a detailed report on what transpired, as families struggle to find closure.
Cosatu secretary-general Solly Phetoe met with the devastated family members at the Stella Maris Seafarers Centre yesterday, who remain with unanswered questions as their loved ones, presumed to have drowned, remain missing.
Tragedy struck on May 17, when Sea Harvest’s deepsea trawler vessel FV Lepanto sank 30-35 nautical miles off the coast of Hout Bay.
While nine people survived the ordeal, the bodies of the 11 crew members remained missing at sea, with search and rescue efforts called off on May, 19.
At the time, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) said the search and rescue effort was called off by SA Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
This was due to the continuous lack of sighting reports from the incident and unfavourable weather.
Cosatu previously protested at Sea Harvest’s office in July, to highlight health and safety in the workplace.
The union had also requested that SAMSA expedite their investigation into the incident.
Phetoe said the trade federation would be writing to the Ministers of Employment and Labour, Transport and DFFE.
It would be calling for urgent action and intervention.
“We are demanding a full, detailed report on what happened.
“Was the ship was in good condition, was there an investigation because there are allegations that the ship was not in good condition when it went out,” Phetoe said.
“By now, the employer would have gone down to the sea so they are able to prove to the family that they had done this and were not able to retrieve the bodies.
“But instead the employers are telling people that it is too expensive to go down.
“It means they don’t care about the lives of those people.”
He said the meeting yesterday was called to get permission from the families to take further interventions.
This may include court action, should they not receive satisfactory responses from the company and after having approached the various ministers.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za
Cape Argus