A new publication by the International Labour Organization (ILO) aims to assist directors, managers and inspectors of competent fisheries or labour authorities to regulate and inspect labour conditions on board commercial fishing vessels and enforce standards for work in fishing. The “ILO training package on inspection of labour conditions on board fishing vessels” can be used to train officials who are building or improving comprehensive and coordinated inspection services for fishers.
The training package responds to the needs for training material while being consistent with the requirements of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188). The Convention, which was adopted by the International Labour Conference of the ILO in June 2007 and entered into force in November 2017, addresses a wide range of issues that are essential to ensuring decent work on board fishing vessels. Eighteen countries have ratified the Convention, eight of which are developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America.
The training package also responds to calls by governments, fishers’ organizations and fishing vessel owners requesting assistance in establishing, or improving, national inspection systems and to train inspectors. The package builds on “Guidelines on flag State inspection of working and living conditions on board fishing vessels,” adopted in 2015, and to the “Guidelines for port State control officers carrying out inspections under the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188),” adopted in 2010. It further draws upon practical experiences on labour inspection in the fishing sector gained in recent years from ILO’s constituents and projects. In particular, it seeks to promote cooperation and coordination among the many authorities that may have a role in the inspection of living and working conditions on fishing vessels, with the aim of ensuring decent work for all fishers.
The package includes guidance on how Managers can plan, keeping in mind legal frameworks, coordination between agencies, and the views of fishing vessel owners and workers’ representatives. It extensively covers field-level training for Inspectors in accordance with the articles of Convention, including on vessel documentation, crew lists, fishers’ work agreements, manning, hours of rest, medical examination, occupational safety and health, payment, food, water and accommodation, and other elements of decent work for fishers. Finally, the package also features pre-training mapping exercises on the fishing industry, labour rights, government and stakeholder roles, and enforcement mechanisms. The book is available at: https://www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/training-materials/WCMS_766744/lang–en/index.htm