Union for fishing sector pushed

 By HELEN TARAWA

FISHING industry workers in PNG have the right to union representation and collective bargaining under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention, a union official says.

Liz Blackshaw, Fisheries programme leader of the International Transport Workers Federation and International Union of Food Workers, said PNG had ratified the ILO convention in 1975 and workers had the right to participate in union activities in the country.

Blackshaw has been leading a campaign in the country to extend the union coverage into the fishing sector in PNG since 2011.

“The campaign came about because there is a very low level of union coverage in this industry and it’s one of the most dangerous industries in the world, particularly on the fishing side, which always comes up as the most dangerous job that anyone could do,” she said.

“Here in PNG, we started a pilot campaign in 2011 and the reason for PNG is because of the high volume of tuna processing that comes out of this country to the export markets. 

“For many years the union and the workers employed in the industry were trying to organise themselves but employers had repeatedly resisted their attempts to have union representation.

“We’ve been focusing over the last few years on a more structured approach trying to negotiate directly with the employers to explain that the workers had a legal entitlement to union representation and collective bargaining under the ILO convention. One of the areas that needs some significant work in addition to the illegal fishing regulations that the employers should be working with the Government to comply with is safety health in the work place and the right to gain compensation when accidents occur. 

“We’ve been working directly with maritime union,” she said.