Safety and Health: ILO Fishing Standards and Smallscale Fisheries

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Safety and Health ILO Fishing Standards and
Small-scale Fisheries

• Sebastian Mathew
• International Collective in Support of
  Fishworkers (ICSF)

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Importance of small-scale fisheries

• 15 to 20 million fishers in the artisanal,
  small-scale sub-sector, 90of them in Asia,
  followed by Africa and Latin America
• About 50 of powered un-decked vessels and 83 of
  total non-powered vessels are concentrated in
  Asia
• 45 of marine fish production for direct human
  consumption originate from small-scale fisheries

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Changing nature of small-scale fisheries

• Fishing all over the EEZ and beyond
• Distinct categories of owner, skipper and worker
  on some small-scale fishing vessels
• Emergence of employer-employee relations

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Proposed ILO Work in Fishing Convention 2005

• 40 years since the last ILO instrument in the
  fishing sector
• Tries to address the developments in the sector
  over the last 40 years
• Intend to reach a greater portion of the worlds
  fishers particularly those on board smaller
  vessels
• Was to be adopted at the June 2005 ILC
• To be put for vote again at the ILC in June 2007

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Definition and Scope of the Convention

• Commercial fishing includes all but subsistence
  and recreational fishing in marine and inland
  waters,
• Fishers include persons working on board who
  are paid on the basis of a share of the catch
• Provisions to extend protection provided for
  fishers working on vessels 24 m and over, to
  fishers working on smaller vessels
• Provisions to exclude fishing vessels engaged in
  fishing operations in rivers, lakes and canals,
  as well as limited categories of fishers or
  fishing vessels

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Structure of the Convention

• General principles
• Minimum requirements for work on board fishing
  vessels
• Conditions of service
• Accommodation and food
• Medical care
• Health protection and social security and
• Compliance and enforcement

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Minimum requirements for work on board fishing
vessels

• Minimum age and medical examination
• Minimum age provisions applicable to fishers on
  board all types of fishing vessels
• Requirement to hold a medical certificate for
  fishers on board vessels 24 m in length or more,
  or for vessels that stay at sea for more than
  three days

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Minimum age

• Minimum age for work on board a fishing vessel to
  be 16 years, which could be 15 years for persons
  who are no longer subject to compulsory schooling
• Minimum age for assignment of activities on board
  fishing vessels that are likely to jeopardize the
  health, safety or morals of young persons is not
  less than 18 years
• Engagement of fishers under the age of 18 for
  work at night is prohibited, on health grounds

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Medical certificate

• Mandatory for fishers who work on board a fishing
  vessel which is 24 m in length and over, or on a
  vessel that remains at sea more than three days
• the hearing and sight of the fisher are
  satisfactory
• the fisher is not suffering from any medical
  condition likely to be aggravated by service at
  sea or to render the fisher unfit for such
  service or to endanger the health of other
  persons on board

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Conditions of service

• Manning and hours of rest, crew list, fishers
  work agreement, repatriation, recruitment and
  placement, and payment of fishers
• Not necessarily applicable to SSF vessels that do
  not have distinct owner, skipper, worker
  categories
• Hours of rest and crew list are important for the
  safety and health of multi-day fishers

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Accommodation and food

• Accommodation spaces and sanitary facilities
  (could make significant contribution to reducing
  fatigue and occupational diseases amongst
  fishers)
• Adequate supply of nutritional food and potable
  water in sufficient quality and quantity

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Medical care, health protection, and social
security

• At least one person on board who is qualified or
  trained in first aid and other forms of medical
  care
• Right to medical treatment ashore
• Right to be taken ashore in a timely manner for
  treatment in the event of serious injury or
  illness
• Social security protection to fishers under
  conditions no less fav. than those applicable to
  other workers, including employed and
  self-employed persons
• Access to medical care and compensation in the
  event of injury from occupational
  accident/disease

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Conclusion

• The proposed Convention is more flexible as it
  moves from larger to smaller fishing vessels
• The proposed standards for the fishing sector
  have the potential to respond more meaningfully
  to the safety and health requirements of
  small-scale fishers in the context of rapidly
  changing nature of fishing operations
• The Convention, once adopted, would prove to be
  of greater relevance in progressively improving
  labour standards in small-scale fisheries

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Thank you!