Decent work for migrant fishers

Decent work and productive employment in the fishing sector is fundamental to ensuring effective fishing operations, which themselves are critical to sustainable livelihoods and food security. Migrant fishers, as all other fishers, are entitled to decent conditions of work. Decent work in the fishing sector is critical for achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 on zero hunger; SDG 8 on decent work and inclusive economic growth, in particular target 8.7; SDG 10 on reduced inequalities; and SDG 14 on life below water. Working conditions of migrant fishers has been identified as an issue of growing public concern.

Fishing is recognized as a hazardous occupation and the sector is vulnerable to decent work deficits such as excessively long working hours, informality, lack of social protection coverage, long periods at sea and complex employment relationships and remuneration systems. Many fishers are self-employed for whom adequate protection is often lacking. Non-standard forms of employment and engagement are common practice in the sector. Migrant fishers may face challenges not experienced by other fishers, including through the way they are recruited and placed, and are vulnerable to discrimination and other decent work deficits.

It is necessary to have effective enforcement of migrant fishers’ fundamental rights at work, and access to justice, irrespective of their migrant status. Migrant fishers should be treated as regular status migrant workers and effective mechanisms should be in place to ensure that fundamental principles and rights at work are fully applicable to them. The adequate regulation of national and international recruitment and placement services concerns both parties engaged in matching demand and supply of employment as well as those employing fishers with a view to making them available to a third party. The role of informal labour brokers must also be investigated and regulated. A clear division of roles and responsibilities for enforcement, compliance and inspection between flag States, port States and labour-providing States is key. Furthermore, there is often a lack of coordination at the national level among government agencies which have a role in the protection of the rights of fishers, including migrant fishers. The slow pace of ratification by States of the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188), is reducing the effectiveness of actions addressing the challenges faced by migrant fishers.

The International Labour Office should promote the ratification and effective implementation of international labour standards relevant to the fishing sector, in particular the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188), for which a campaign should be developed, and promote respect for the fundamental principles and rights at work and build capacity of constituents through development cooperation, the development and dissemination of tools and training materials and through the International Training Centre of the ILO (Turin Centre). Tools and training materials should include inter alia guidance on medical examination and certification of fishers; on the recruitment and placement of migrant fishers; on occupational safety and health on fishing vessels; and guidance on flexibility built into Convention No. 188;

Source:

http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_576895.pdf