ILO seeks wider adoption of Convention 188 as EU moves against forced-labour products

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has called for wider ratification and effective implementation of its Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188), as the European Union prepares to prohibit products made with forced labour from its market from December 2027.

The ILO said broader adoption of the convention would provide countries with stronger tools to tackle forced labour and other abuses in the fishing industry, where workers face unsafe conditions, weak social protection and limited representation.

Speaking at a high-level event at the European Parliament, Tariq Haq, Head of the Transport and Maritime Unit at the ILO’s Sectoral Policies Branch, stressed that ratifying the convention was essential for countries seeking to address labour abuses aboard foreign fishing vessels operating in their waters.

“If European countries want to act on forced labour and abuses on foreign vessels in their waters, ratification of this instrument, which provides an internationally recognised framework, is what gives them the tool,” Haq said.

He spoke during a panel discussion at an event titled, “Advancing the Social Dimension of Sustainable Fisheries”, organised by OPAGAC, an association of tuna freezer vessel owners.

The event examined how workers’ conditions could be better integrated into European fisheries policies and enforcement as the EU prepares to implement its Forced Labour Regulation, which will ban the sale, import and export of products made using forced labour in its market from December 2027.

For Nigeria, the development raises questions about the protection of workers in the fishing and seafood value chain, as well as the need to ensure that labour standards form part of efforts to promote decent work, sustainable fisheries and access to international markets.

Fishing and fish processing provide livelihoods for many Nigerians, particularly in coastal and riverine communities. Stronger labour protections are therefore relevant not only to workers’ welfare but also to the sustainability and competitiveness of the wider industry.

The ILO’s Convention No. 188 sets standards for fishers’ conditions of service, occupational safety and health, medical care and social security.

The convention has been ratified by 27 countries, following recent ratifications by Belgium, Côte d’Ivoire, Iceland, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.

Its adoption, however, remains far below that of the Maritime Labour Convention, adopted in 2006, which has secured 113 ratifications.

Haq said the experience of the wider maritime industry demonstrated the importance of extending strong labour governance to fishing workers.

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“The Maritime Labour Convention shows what strong labour governance at sea can achieve, and our challenge is to bring fishers to the same level of protection,” he said.

Although EU directives provide some protections, the ILO expert noted that they do not fully replace Convention No. 188. Directive 2017/159, for instance, does not cover self-employed fishers and lacks provisions on flag State inspection and port State control.

Ratification is particularly important for fishing vessels operating internationally. Countries that have ratified the convention can inspect foreign fishing vessels calling at their ports against its standards, creating an additional mechanism for addressing labour abuses and forced labour.

The ILO identified the fragmented nature of the fishing industry as one of the factors slowing progress in improving working conditions. Fishers often lack organised representation, while responsibilities for the sector are divided among labour ministries, fisheries agencies and maritime authorities.

Effective coordination among these institutions is therefore critical to ensuring that labour standards are translated into practical protections.

Haq pointed to recent ratifications, growing recognition of the links between labour abuses, forced labour and sustainable fisheries, and developments in port State control as signs of renewed momentum.

The ILO’s Partnership for Decent Work in Fisheries is also supporting efforts to increase ratification and implementation of Convention No. 188, helping countries move from political commitments to practical action. The initiative is supported by the governments of France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, as well as the European Commission.

The ILO maintained that improving working conditions aboard fishing vessels goes beyond protecting individual workers, as stronger labour governance can promote fair competition, responsible fisheries and sustainable seafood supply chains.

With the EU’s forced-labour restrictions approaching, the push for wider adoption of Convention No. 188 places renewed emphasis on ensuring that the people behind seafood production enjoy safer workplaces, stronger social protection and decent working conditions.