Elements with tag social partners
Today, the European Parliament and this week, the Council of the EU, in a coordinated and concerted effort, swiftly adopted their position on the European Commission proposal establishing a set of ambitious measures under the European Maritime & Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to tackle the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the fisheries sector. The EU Social Partners in the Fisheries Sector - Europêche and ETF - welcome the positive step forward towards the final adoption of this legislative proposal which will provide much-needed support to fishermen. The sector looks forward to a speedy and flexible implementation of the provisions in the Member States.
The title perfectly summarises the message unanimously given by governments during the Ministerial Conference on Fishing Vessel Safety and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, organized by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Government of Spain in Torremolinos this week. The Conference aims to promote the widespread adoption of the Cape Town Agreement (CTA), a key IMO treaty for safety of fishing vessels, which so far has not entered into force due to low ratification levels1. Thanks to the recent accession of Spain and the boost provided by the Conference, nearly 50 countries signed a Declaration to enhance safety at sea by promoting the entry into force of the CTA and combating IUU fishing.
On 9th November 2017, during their annual plenary meeting, the EU Social Partners in the fisheries sector (Europêche1 and ETF2) met with the specialised agencies of the United Nations which play a vital role in fishers’ safety at sea and working conditions. Representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) together with the European Commission (EC) and Social Partners laid the foundations for a comprehensive action plan to raise awareness and jointly promote worldwide all relevant international instruments on fisheries to ultimately improve safety and labour conditions.
Los interlocutores sociales europeos para la pesca, Europêche y la Federación Europea de Trabajadores del Transporte (ETF)*, llamaron a todos los Estados miembros de la UE a ratificar con urgencia el Convenio de la OIT ** que proporciona normas mínimas para proteger a los pescadores en todos los aspectos de su trabajo. En una declaración conjunta firmada el 14 de abril en La Haya, Países Bajos y los interlocutores sociales recordaron también las instituciones europeas sobre sus responsabilidades en este proceso. Los interlocutores sociales se han felicitado de la volontad de la Presidencia del Consejo de la UE para trabajar en el acuerdo de los interlocutores sociales (SPA), que ha sido firmado en 2012, pero aún no ha sido presentado ante el Consejo.
During a meeting held on 28 January in Sofia, Bulgaria, the European Social Partners in Fisheries*, the ETF and Europêche, promoted together with the ILO ** the swift ratification of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention C188. The event was also attended by high-level representatives of the Bulgarian Ministries of Labour, Transport and Agriculture, who share competence over the ratification of the Convention.
In the framework of a joint EU co-funded project, the European social partners in Fisheries , ETF and Europeche, organised a meeting in Madrid to prompt Spain to swiftly ratify the ILO Work in Fishing Convention C188. This landmark convention is applicable to all types of fishing vessels and seeks to provide minimum standards that protect fishers in all aspects of their work, in what is considered one of the most hazardous professions.
Lors d’une des ses récentes réunions, l’organisation des travailleurs ETF et les représentants des entreprises Europêche et Cogeca ont formellement adopté une clause sociale révisée, à inclure dans les APPD avec les pays tiers, relative au travail et aux standards de protection sociale et vise à garantir des conditions décentes de travail pour les pêcheurs non européens travaillant à bord des bateaux opérant de le cadre de APPD.
En una de sus últimas reuniones, la organización de los trabajadores (ETF) y los representantes de los empleadores (Europêche y Cogeca) han adoptado formalmente una cláusula social revisada para ser incluida en los SFPAs con terceros países, que se refiere a las normas laborales y de protección social y tiene por objeto garantizar condiciones decentes de trabajo de los pescadores no comunitarios que trabajan a bordo de buques que operan en el marco de los Acuerdos Sostenibles de pesca con 3ºs países.
At the Plenary meeting held yesterday, the EU Social Partners in the Fisheries Sector – Europêche, Cogeca and ETF - welcomed the presentation of the Parliamentary draft report “Fishers for the future: Attracting a new generation of labour to the fishing industry and generating employment in coastal communities” of the Member of the European Parliament, Manuel Pizarro. While acknowledging the report as an important step in the right direction, social partners call on the policy-makers to recognize the key social dimension of fishing, thus improving the health and safety of fishers and attracting youth to the sector.