According to Dr Jess Sparks is a Research Assistant Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham Rights Lab, linkages between unsafe working conditions and indecent work across fleets globally have emerged lately in research.
As Dr Sparks reminds, in June 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO) of the United Nations adopted “safe and healthy working environments” as their fifth category of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, showcasing the intrinsic links between safety and decent work and unsafe and indecent work.
As fishing is notoriously one of the world’s most dangerous professions, recognition of these links is also embedded in the ILO’s (2007) Work in Fishing Convention (c188) – which establishes minimum standards for decent work on board fishing vessels.
Decent work is just one end of the spectrum of working conditions on board fishing vessels, with egregious violations of human rights constituting forced labour, human trafficking, and modern slavery at the other end
stated Dr Sparks, adding that “in between decent work and forced labour are a range of conditions that may be exploitative and discriminatory but not in violation of labour laws.”
The links between working conditions and indecent work have lately been analyzed in research. Firstly, exploitative labour practices make the work on board vessels even more unsafe. In fact, research from the UK indicated that migrant fishers were significantly more likely to lead to injuries than national fishers.
What is more, fishers’ precarious immigration status may deny them access to medical care, including routine medical care that could offer early detection of illnesses associated with extreme and chronic fatigue and malnourishment.
Safety matters may also influence working conditions. There is some speculation, though it has yet to be empirically tested, that safety violations may be an early indicator of future exploitative labour practices
Dr Sparks mentioned, while also suggesting the fishing industry to anticipate such scenarios and plan accordingly for future ones, where climate change will also likely worsen these links between safety and decent work.
Fatigued and malnourished fishers are more prone to making mistakes with serious consequences to their health and safety
Dr Sparks concluded.
