Mindelo, Cabo Verde, Feb. 18, 2025 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde's state-owned ports operator, Enapor, plans to reactivate the cold storage platform for fish in Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, by the end of April of this year, keeping on all the former employees there of a troubled fish canning operation, Enapor's chairman announced on Tuesday.
"We are working with various partners and we believe that we will soon be in a position to announce a new partner to continue the cold storage platform," said Irineu Camacho, after Enapor took back the space that had been outsourced to the company, when it failed to fulfil its obligations.
After problems in Spain, where it is based, Atunlo closed its operations in Mindelo a year ago and its 210 local workers went through successive temporary lay-offs (allowing the company to suspend their employment contracts) until November, receiving half their salaries, but with delays in payment to this day.
Several workers have years of seniority and are claiming compensation, while others have been forced to give up their rights in order to take other jobs to support their families.
"The next partner must give guarantees that no one will go unemployed after the process of taking over the cold platform" and that “the acquired rights of the Atunlo workers will be respected and outstanding salaries will be paid,” said the Enapor chairman.
According to Camacho, "it is essential that the new partner fulfils" this set of conditions.
The fish processing plant in Mindelo began operating in 2015, with 51% of its shares in the hands of Atunlo, 33% belonging to Frescomar (Ubago) and 16% to Frigrove - all Spanish companies.
Atunlo announced that its aim was to establish itself as a "reference operator in Europe and North Africa" for tuna products, with canneries among the main customers for the fish processed there.
Cabo Verde's canning sector is composed of the processing complex that was conceded to Atunlo and the Frescomar cannery (for tuna, mackerel and mackerel), partner factories in Mindelo, São Vicente, and Sucla canneries on the island of São Nicolau.
Canned and frozen fish accounts for more than two-thirds of Cabo Verde's goods exports to the European Union, with Spain being the main buyer.
LFO/ARO // ARO.
Lusa
