Provide Decent Work, Labour Standards For Fishers

IN a statement to the Committee on the Fishing Sector at the 96th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has stressed the importance of providing decent work and labour standards in the fishing sector to all fishers in both commercial small- and large-scale fishing operations.

In the statement, presented to the Committee on Thursday May 31, 2007, ICSF said the benefits of the proposed Convention on Work in the Fishing Sector should not be confined only to those who work on board fishing vessels, but should also be extended to persons who depend on shore-based fishing operations, such as beach seining, diving and gleaning shellfish, who are paid a wage or share of the catch, and who are part of an employer-employee relationship.

The statement however, reads:

The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) recognizes the importance of providing decent work and labour standards in the fishing sector to all fishers in both commercial small- and large-scale fishing operations.

Consistent with the ILO goal of decent work for all, the benefits of the Convention should not be confined only to those who work on board fishing vessels, it should, to the extent practicable, also be extended to persons dependent on shore-based fishing operations, such as those dependent on beach seining, diving and gleaning shellfish, who are paid a wage or share of the catch, and who are part of an employer-employee relationship. The shore-based fishers should at least benefit from Part VI of the draft Convention that deals with occupational safety and health and accident prevention, and social security—areas of interest in the draft Convention to these fishers. In this context, it would be appropriate to bring shore-based fishers also within the ambit of “fisher” in Article 1 (e). There are thousands of women who are dependent on shore-based fishing operations world-wide, in particular, mainly in developing countries, and broadening the scope of the Convention also to benefit shore-based fishers would do a great service to these women, and would be consistent with Goal 3 viz, to promote gender equality and empower women, of the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations General Assembly.

We would also like to inform the Committee that ICSF together with other NGOs and trade unions had organized a South Asian Workshop of Trade Unions on 11 February 2007 in Negombo, Sri Lanka, where the participants were of the unanimous view that the proposed Convention would be of immense benefit to the small- and large-scale fishing sector in South Asia. Further, the Statement of the Workshop on Asserting Rights and Defining Responsibilities: Perspectives from Small-scale Fishing Communities on Coastal and Fisheries Management in Asia, from 3 to 5 May 2007, Siem Reap, Cambodia, organized by ICSF and the Royal Government of Cambodia, highlighted the need to adopt the proposed Convention on Work in Fishing. We welcome the Convention and believe that the minor differences that remain can be successfully sorted out to lead to its adoption, which would be of benefit of all fishers of the world. We wish this Committee all success.

(ICSF is an international NGO that works towards the establishment of equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector.

During the ongoing ILC, more than 3,000 government, worker and employer leaders are meeting in Geneva from 30 May to 15 June to discuss issues ranging from decent work and development to child labour in agriculture, work in the fishing sector, equality at work, forced labour and the promotion of sustainable enterprises.

The Conference will consider new ILO instruments on work in the fishing industry with a view toward adopting a Convention and a Recommendation. The Committee on the Fishing Sector will examine the living and working conditions of some 30 million workers in the global fishing sector, one of the world’s most dangerous. The instruments aim to ensure decent working conditions for all fishers, particularly on board vessels, and adequate social protection. They address a variety of aspects of fishers’ lives, from initial recruitment through retirement.

ENDS

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