Fishers’ rights will be safeguarded – Minister
Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda said that he will act with dedication to safeguard the rights of fishermen’ at a discussion held in Colombo recently when the Draft regulations pertaining to ILO C188- Work in Fishing Convention, 2007, developed with Technical support from the ILO and funding from DFAT and the Norway Government, were presented to Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara, State Fisheries Minister Piyal Nishantha De Silva, Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Paul Stephens and Director, ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Simrin Singh.
The Minister further said that the Ratification and Compliance of C188 would see substantial benefits in not only improving working conditions, creating additional employment, and facilitating labour retention, but also generating significant economic returns to Sri Lanka by enhancing the sector’s global competitiveness. It also sets the foundation for long-term growth and sustainability of the country’s fisheries sector. In Sri Lanka, the fisheries sector is an important contributor to food security, nutrition, trade, employment and export earnings. It is also amongst the most impacted sectors by the prevailing economic crisis. Signifying the Government’s commitment to strengthening the country’s fisheries sector and improving decent work conditions, the draft regulations will act as a key documentation in supporting the development and submission of a joint Cabinet Paper by the Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry and the Fisheries Ministry in furthering Sri Lanka’s journey towards ratification of C188.
The Minister presented the Draft Act that was prepared with the addition of new rules and regulations to the existing No: 2 of the 1996 Act of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and stated that he is very keen in this regard and has inspiration since he is from a family involved in the Trade Union movement and his father and uncle were pioneers in working with International Labour Organisation.
The Minister expressed his confidence in Sri Lanka finalizing and ratifying the convention with the support of all partners, stating “Fishers must be accorded the rights and protection they deserve, the Ministry wholeheartedly endorses the decent work agenda for the Fisheries Sector”.
Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara expressed strong support towards Sri Lanka ratifying C188, stating that “Providing dignity of work to fishers is not only a legal obligation but also a moral duty, and it is a part of larger efforts by the Ministry to create a more robust social-security system for Sri Lanka’s private sector workers including fishers.”
Australian HC to Sri Lanka Paul Stephens said, “Enhancing economic opportunities for all Sri Lankans to thrive is an important feature of Australia’s development support to Sri Lanka. The fisheries sector is of particular importance as a driver for growth and decent work-investments in Blue Swimmer, Crab, Giant Prawns, and Sea Cucumber value chains has dividends that are uplifting lives, and the sector. We hope the Government will move forward in its journey to ratifying C188.”
Highlighting the importance of the convention, Director of ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Simrin Singh, said, “As Sri Lanka works towards strengthening its economic recovery and resilience, ratification of C188 offers both dignity and protection for workers, and is a golden opportunity for the industry’s growth. We are encouraged by the commitment from both the Fisheries Ministry and the Labour Ministry. The ILO will continue to steadfastly support Sri Lanka’s promising efforts towards the earliest ratification of C188.”
Fisheries Ministry Secretary Indu Rathnayake and a group of Higher Officials attended the event.
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