Fishers

Poland marks the end of the ILO centenary year with the ratification of the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188)

News | 19 December 2019
Poland marks the end of the International Labour Organization (ILO) centenary year with the ratification of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188), joining the international efforts to ensure decent working and living conditions in the fishing sector. It is the seventeenth member State of the ILO and the seventh European Union Member State to ratify the Convention.

Adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2007, the Work in Fishing Convention provides a modern, flexible regulatory framework for the more than 38 million people worldwide who work in capture fisheries and covers both large fishing operations and small-scale fisheries. Convention No. 188 sets out binding requirements covering all aspects of working life on board commercial fishing vessels, including fair recruitment, rest periods, written work agreements, regular pay, repatriation, accommodation, food and water, occupational safety and health, medical care at sea and ashore, and social security protection.

Although the fisheries sector represents a minor part of the Polish gross domestic product (GDP), it nevertheless plays an important role in some regions, and impacts diversification in local communities, particularly in rural areas. In 2014, the Polish fishing fleet caught 171.4 thousand tonnes, and the fleet comprised 873 fishing vessels with a combined gross tonnage of 34 034 GT. The Polish marine fisheries sector has 1 406 full-time equivalent employees and the inland fisheries 2 039 full-time employees.

The Work in Fishing Convention will come into force for Poland on 17 December 2020, one year after its ratification. The Convention has now been ratified by Angola, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Congo, Estonia, France, Lithuania, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland Portugal, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom.