Merlus rejects claims over unpaid GERP fishermen

Merlus Cormorant Fishing company has rejected claims that it owes five months’ back pay to 111 fishermen allocated to it under the Government Employment Redress Programme (GERP), saying no employment relationship currently exists with the workers.

Merlus Cormorant chairman Stanley Katzao said reports that the company had left the fishermen unpaid and unemployed were “inaccurate and misleading”.

Katzao said the company had been working to resolve administrative and placement issues affecting the group since April 2026.