Fishing for standards: a collection of articles on ILO's proposed comprehensive standard on work in the fishing sector

Abstract

Fishing is a peculiarly difficult occupation not only because of the strenuous and hazardous nature of the labour process itself but also because of the unpredictable status of the world's fisheries. Most of the world's fishermen - who are in the small-scale and artisanal sector - do not enjoy the benefits of the fundamental principles and rights at work that are supposedly applicable to all workers,as laid down in the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of the International Labour Organization (ILO ). (60pp.) Forty years after its last standard on work in the fishing sector, ILO has proposed a new standard,to be placed on the agenda of the 92nd Session of the International Labour Conference in June 2004 at Geneva.This dossier puts together reports on workshops held to discuss this proposed standard,as well as analyses of social security measures for fishing communities in the small-scale and artisanal sector in a couple of selected developing countries.