Mrs. Fatou Diouf, the Minister of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure, chaired a meeting in Somone on the signing of the offshore collective agreement as well as the one devoted to fishing. The unions and the various stakeholders participated in this meeting.
Madame Fatou Diouf, the Minister of Fisheries and Maritime and Port Infrastructure, placed the meeting under the sign of the consecration or the culmination of a process. According to him, it is the result of work to establish the Collective Agreement for the Merchant Navy establishing the conditions of employment of sailors or seafarers employed on board ships/offshore units operating in the activities offshore oil and gas in Senegal. According to him, the government of Senegal is delighted with the successful conclusion of the negotiation of the Collective Agreement, which is in line with its orientations. It is also the expression of support for the needs of stakeholders in the maritime sector.
Mrs. Fatou Diouf stressed the importance of the Offshore Collective Agreement meeting a requirement of compliance with the provisions of the 2006 Maritime Convention of the International Labor Organization (ILO), ratified by Senegal. For the Minister of Fisheries and Maritime and Port Infrastructure, a legal void is filled in the oil and gas sector, contributing to the attractiveness of the maritime sector by equipping itself with a legal compliance instrument. According to her, this fact contributes to calming the social climate for active seafarers. She saw this convention as an advocacy tool that could inspire vocations among young people.
Concerning the second convention establishing the conditions of employment of officers and sailors of the Merchant Navy, fishing section, the Minister recalled the out-of-step nature of the convention of 1is March 1976 of the first generation of actors. According to him, its application, after 48 years, has shown its out of step with the evolution of the economic and social context, international labor standards, new functions on board ships and new types of fishing and ships. The reactivity of the Ministry of Fisheries, following the denunciation of the unions around the platform through 24 articles out of 70.
Diligent actions by the National Agency for Maritime Affairs have enabled the holding of exchange meetings with all stakeholders on the provisions in question, the classification of jobs and the compensation system for fishermen for an improvement in living and working conditions. Thus, the declaration of notice of eight days to one month for sailors, 8 months for supervisors and 3 months for officers was retained. There is also the payment of a new flat-rate fishing bonus set at 65,000 FCFA for Senegalese sailors employed on board foreign vessels. There is also the increase in bonuses and that of each job to the immediately higher category. The Minister considered the provisions as a guarantee for decent work, a promotion of training and employability, to put Senegal in the crosshairs on the white list of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Samba Snow BA
