A sustainable Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is really in place when workers, from fishers, to aquaculture and food processing staff, are fairly treated throughout the whole fish supply chain.
Unions’ role is paramount as it eases workers’ organization, collective bargaining and the achievement of overall better conditions especially in the space of health and safety.
The latter was the focus of the second meeting of the ETF-EFFAT project “Workers’ organisations’ participation in the fisheries, aquaculture and processing sector” which took place on 14-15 November in Mestre (Venice)
Beyond sharing best practices, key priorities were identified – from strengthening inspection and enforcement of existing laws around health and safety to implementing basic safety training. In particular the importance of improving and clarifying the regulatory framework via a grassroots bottom-up approach was emphasised, hardwiring this approach into the CFP that ensures that every policy considers the impact on workers’ health and safety.
The project gathers trade unions representing fishermen as well as aquaculture and fish processing workers. Its key objective is to develop a joint vision on how to promote and defend workers’ occupational interests in the implementation of the existing CFP and in the élaboration of a new CFP post 2020 all along the fishery supply chain.
A third thematic seminar dedicated to Fisheries management and financial instrument will take place in February 2019 in France in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The seminars are facilitated by an external group of CFP experts. They assist the participants in developing the strategy for the CFP post 2020.
EFFAT and ETF will present a joint vision during a final conference in Brussels in Autumn 2019.
