Fisheries Committee of West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), a regional fisheries sector non-governmental organization has sponsored a one-day training for local fisheries industry stakeholders on how to promote decent work across the value chain.
The workshop brought together stakeholders from across Ghana’s fishing industry to discuss possibilities and challenges for ensuring the safety and decent working conditions for all fish workers.
This was a verification session to review the findings of a fisheries sector survey performed by Dr Vanessa Jaiteh of the University of Nottingham and hosted by the FCWC, which focused on the growing concerns about social sustainability challenges in fisheries throughout the West African coastline.
The research looked into the working conditions and safety issues of Ghanaian fishermen in the artisanal, semi-industrial, and industrial sectors. According to the findings of the report, over 97 per cent of industrial fishermen do not have contracts with them.
According to the survey, around 97 per cent of industrial fishermen do not have contracts with the semi-industrial sector.
Their contracts are frequently more like verbal agreements than formal contracts. I believe it is in breach of Ghana’s labour laws, which must be handled.
Without contracts, the workers will not know how much they will be paid, therefore they will return to shore before learning how much they will be paid,” Dr Jaiteh explained.
The necessity for a qualified workforce in the domestic fisheries business, according to participants, is critical to engendering decent labour practices across the value chain and sustaining the industry.
“Human capital is essential in any business or speciality. Because of the lack of Ghanaians in the top ranks of the industry, the tuna industry could collapse if foreigners decide to leave.
Sadly, human resource training for the fishing business has ceased. Mr Daniel Owusu, an executive member of NAFAG, stated, “The few who have been taught are already out of the country, which is one of the reasons why foreigners have a stronghold over the local fisheries industry.”
“We’re talking about a natural resource that produces around 60% of people’s animal protein,” he continued. It’s a matter of livelihood and security, so the indigenes should be in charge of its maintenance.”
Bright Tsai, a fisherman, highlighted some of the frequent grievances of sailors in the industrial and semi-industrial sectors, noting that their superiors have generally opposed the formation of unions.
“Our crew bosses instilled fear in the boatswains, discouraging them from joining unions.” We are warned that if we join the union, we will have to accept jobs from the union. Many of us have been fired as a result of our labor disputes,” he explained.
The workshop, according to Abena Serwah Asante, FCWC’s Fisheries Management Advisor, was part of the organization’s initiatives aimed at stimulating constructive policy formation that promotes sustainable fisheries.