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Korea fisheries conference talks up international labour standards on fishing
22 October 2008
More than 50 fishers’ union representatives have debated ways of promoting international labour standards in fishing to help tackle the appalling working conditions faced by many of the world’s seafarers.
The participants, attending the ITF Fisheries Section conference held on 8-9 October in Pusan, Korea, focused on the implementation of national labour laws and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. In particular they discussed practical measures to promote the ratification and implementation of ILO Work in Fishing Convention 188, which is designed to improve conditions for men and women working in the fishing sector worldwide. They also agreed to step up activities to eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which is responsible for some of the worst human and labour rights violations in the sector, and to focus their efforts on an organising drive in the fishing industry.
In addition, delegates adopted a model collective bargaining agreement to secure decent working and living conditions for fishers. Rossen Karavatchev, ITF Fisheries Section, explained: “The model agreement incorporates the minimum standards set up in the ILO Work in Fishing Convention and aims to secure minimum conditions on all fishing vessels, including flag of convenience fishing vessels. This will assist affiliates in developing countries to negotiate collective bargaining agreements on behalf of their members.”
The section meeting was preceded by the ITF Asia-Pacific Fisheries organising globally planning meeting on 6-7 October, where participants prioritised plans to organise fishers in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. A three-year organising project targeting fishery workers in South East Asia had already been established and this, delegates heard, would next year expand to cover South Asia.
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