ILO Work in Fishing Convention (2007) C188

The International Labour Organization is a specialist agency of the United Nations (UN). The ILO Work in Fishing Convention (2007) 188, was adopted in 2007 to enter into force on 16 November 2017. The objectives of the Convention is to ensure that fishers have decent conditions of work on board fishing vessels with regard to minimum requirements for work on board; conditions of service; accommodation and food; occupational safety and health protection; medical care and social security. It applies to all fishers and fishing vessels engaged in commercial fishing operations. It supersedes the old Conventions relating to fishermen. It will help to ensure decent working conditions on board fishing vessels and allows for minimum requirements to be enforced through labour inspections in foreign ports. The Convention sets in place a mechanism to ensure compliance with, and enforcement of, its provisions for member states who have ratified, providing for large fishing vessels and fishing vessels on extended international voyages to be subjected to labour inspections in foreign ports.

ILO also produced a handbook for improving living and working conditions on board fishing vessels. This was developed to assist competent authorities, representative organizations of employers and workers (in particular, representative organizations of fishing vessel owners and fishers), as well as others with an interest in the sector, in order to gain a better understanding of the provisions of Convention No. 188 and Recommendation No. 199. In particular, it attempts to look at each of the provisions of these standards from the point of view of government officials, fishing vessel owners, fishers and inspectors. Most importantly, whether or not a State decides to ratify the Convention immediately or otherwise, the Handbook will be a useful tool for looking at the current legal protection of fishers, for analysing the situation, and for making improvements.

Implementation of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention 2007 (ILO 188) into UK Law. 

On 8 January 2019, the United Kingdom deposited the instrument of ratification of the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No188) with the International Office, the first ratification registered in the ILO’s centenary year. The United Kingdom was the 13th Member State of the ILO to ratify Convention No. 188.

Significance for seafood businesses: 

This is seafood- specific and will be legally binding on all countries that have ratified the Convention.

Find out more 

To find out more click on the links below. Please note you will be taken to an external website.