Brussels, 21/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - As previously announced (see EUROPE 10616), representatives of the European Union's employers and trade unions in the sea fisheries sector signed an agreement on Monday 21 May to ensure that fishermen have decent working conditions on board fishing vessels with regard to minimum requirements for conditions of service, accommodation and food, occupational safety and health protection, medical care, and social security. This agreement implements at EU level the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on work in the fishing sector.
In a press release, the Commission explains that “this agreement confirms the EU's commitment to improving the working conditions of fishermen both in Europe and globally”. The EU social partners intend to ask the Commission to present their agreement to the EU Council of Ministers in order to implement it through an EU directive, in accordance with Article 155 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, and so make the rules legally binding in the EU and enable speedier ratification of the ILO Convention. The agreement was signed for the employers by Javier Garat, President of Europêche, and Giampaolo Buonfiglio, on behalf of Cogeca and as Chairman of the Fish Working Party of Copa-Cogeca. Eduardo Chagas, Secretary General of the European Transport Workers Federation (ETF), signed as the employees' representative. The agreement was signed at the European Maritime Day conference, held on May 21-22 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Commissioner Maria Damanaki, in charge of maritime affairs and fisheries, who was present at the signing, said: “This agreement is the key step to legally bind EU member states to improving the working conditions for fishermen in Europe. It applies, in principle, to all fishing vessels and all fishermen, including multi-national crews. It obliges authorities to monitor whether the rules are complied with, and encourages coordination among relevant authorities. Making fishing safer and more attractive as a profession is one of the goals of the ongoing reform of the common fisheries policy.”
Commissioner László Andor, in charge of employment, social affairs and inclusion, was delighted with this agreement, which sets out clear benchmarks “for improving working conditions and the health and safety of fisheries workers. The agreement demonstrates how social dialogue can play an important role in designing EU regulation.”
The Commission underscored a few figures in this connection: the risk of an accident causing an injury or death is 2.4 times greater in the sea fisheries sector than the average of all EU industries. The fishing industry accounts for 7% of all fatalities at work in the world, even though, with 355,000 people working in fisheries, it accounts for less than 0.2% of the EU workforce. The fishing sector is a major source of jobs in some member states (Greece 1.5%) and regions (e.g. Galicia, Spain 3%) or coastal communities (e.g. Killybegs, Ireland 68%).
The EU Treaty gives the EU social partners the power to request that an agreement signed by them becomes EU law through a Council decision and thus become legally binding for all EU member states. This agreement will not only reinforce implementation of the ILO Convention but also pave the way for its full ratification by EU member states by the end of 2012, so that the Convention can enter into force worldwide in 2013. (LC/transl.fl)