GENEVA:The United Kingdom has deposited the instrument of ratification of the Work in Fishing Convention with the ILO, marking the first ratification of any Convention in the ILO’s centenary year. The United Kingdom, a major actor in the European fishing sector, is the 13th Member State of the ILO to ratify Convention No. 188.
Adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2007, the Convention revises and brings up-to-date earlier ILO fishing Conventions. It 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-scales fisheries. The United Kingdom fishing sector (capture) includes more than 6,000 vessels and 12,000 fishers.
I am proud to mark the ILO’s Centenary today by committing to enhancing working conditions on behalf of the UK, the first country to do so this year.”
Nusrat Ghani, UK Under Secretary of State for Transport
I am proud to mark the ILO’s Centenary today by committing to enhancing working conditions on behalf of the UK, the first country to do so this year,” said UK Under Secretary of State for Transport, Nusrat Ghani, adding the UK has supported the ILO’s work throughout its 100 years of existence to protect and promote fishers’ rights. “Fishing remains one of the most dangerous industries in the UK, which is why I met MPs and industry last year to encourage measures for fishers to be safer at sea. But more can be done,” she added.
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder welcomed the ratification. “Convention No.188 came into force on 17 November 2017 and we are expecting several more significant ratifications during the year of the ILO Centenary. The ratification by the United Kingdom, achieved after a process of intense tripartite consultations, marks a decisive step in this regard. It paves the way for wider and better implementation of this landmark Convention which ensures adequate protection for numerous fishers who usually work in hazardous conditions.”
Convention No.188 will enter into force for the United Kingdom on 8 January 2020, one year after its ratification. The Convention has now been ratified by Angola, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Congo, Estonia, France, Lithuania, Morocco, Namibia, Norway, Senegal, South Africa and the United Kingdom.