European social partners signing the resolution to halt abuses of migrant fishers. (Photo: Europeche)

Sector organisations urge EU to halt migrant fishers’ labour abuse

European social partners on sea-fisheries have signed a resolution inviting the European Union (EU) to take up its responsibility and end forced labour practices in EU waters.

The action comes about after investigations executed by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) had revealed serious infringements of fundamental principles at work and social protection rights of migrant fishers in a part of the EU’s fishing sector.

The social partners expect the EU to ensure fulfilment by Member States of their obligations and to adopt guidelines for flag state and port state inspections to prevent such practices.

At its Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee meeting the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the European Union (COGECA), the Association of National Organisations of Fishing Enterprises in the European Union (Europêche) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) strongly condemned the lack of actions from the EU to implement and enforce international agreements to protect migrant fishers working in EU waters.

ITF's inspections found infringements in terms of, among others, intimidation and threats, retention of identity documents, withholding of wages and debt bondage.

“In total the violations represent 10 out of eleven indicators of forced labour mentioned in the Guidelines on flag State inspection adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). And these breaches of international agreements that are harming fishermen and put them in inhuman conditions, happen under the watchful eye of the European Union and its Member States,” claimed a spokesperson of the workers’ representative, Flemming Smidt.

Smidt qualified this as “completely unacceptable and unworthy” for a Union that is condemning in the strongest terms such immoral practices outside EU waters.

For his part, Ment van der Zwan, a spokesperson of the employers’ representative stressed that with this joint resolution they give a strong signal to the responsible authorities that they as employers’ and workers’ representatives stand very firm and united in favour of high safety standards for all fishermen and against any practice that violates fundamental principles and rights at work or the flag State’s legislation regardless of a fisherman’s country of origin.
 

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