The Department of Labour will leave no stone unturned in its drive to protect the rights of the fishers, Labour Minister, Membathisi Mdladlana told scores of workers in the Cape Agulhas region of the Western Cape today, 1 October.
He was addressing them in pursuance of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Convention that seeks to protect and promote the rights of fishers.
"We will not allow a situation where the rights of fishers get drowned in the sea. I was shocked to learn that while the boat and fish are insured, the people inside those boats do not have rights," the minister said.
Mdladlana said the way forward is to align the regulation of the Department of Transport with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.
One of the resolutions taken at the ILO Convention was that conditions of employment in the fishing sector in South Africa should be regulated.
The convention deals with issues relating to conditions of service, medical care, health protection and social security as well as compliance and enforcement.
Enquiries:
Mzobanzi Jikazana
Cell: 083 641 2355
Source: Department of Labour
Fishers' rights under spotlight
