ILO C188 explained

PIoWR Learning Hub · about 5 minutes, including the quiz · For: Fishers

In this lesson you will learn:

• What the Work in Fishing Convention is
• The main protections it sets
• Where it applies in the Pacific

What is C188?

The Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188) is an international labour standard adopted by the International Labour Organization. It sets minimum requirements for work on board fishing vessels: conditions of service, accommodation and food, safety and health, medical care and social security.

A country that ratifies C188 agrees to make these protections part of its law, for vessels flying its flag.

The main protections

• Minimum age: 16 (with limited exceptions for 15-year-olds in training); 18 for hazardous work (Art. 9).
• Medical fitness document before working (Art. 10).
• Rest: on vessels at sea more than 3 days, at least 10 hours in any 24 hours and 77 hours in any 7 days (Art. 14).
• Written work agreement you can understand, with your own copy (Art. 16–20).
• Repatriation at the owner's cost when the agreement ends or you can no longer work (Art. 21).
• No recruitment fees charged to fishers (Art. 22).
• Regular pay, monthly or other regular payment, and a free way to send money home (Art. 23–24).
• Accommodation, food and water of good quality, food and water at no cost unless an agreement allows cost recovery (Art. 25–28).
• Medical care on board and safety training and procedures (Art. 29–33).
• Social security and protection for work-related sickness, injury or death (Art. 34–39).
• Complaints and port inspection (Art. 43).

C188 in the Pacific

According to ILO NORMLEX (checked 2 October 2026), Solomon Islands ratified C188 on 8 January 2026; it is shown as not yet in force. Fiji and the other Pacific Island ILO members have not ratified it. France has ratified it; whether it applies in French Polynesia and New Caledonia depends on France's declarations, which we have not verified.

Even where it is not ratified, C188 is a strong guide to what decent work at sea looks like, and it shapes regional rules such as the WCPFC crew labour standards (next lesson).

C188 works alongside two fundamental ILO Conventions: C87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, 1948) and C98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining, 1949). They protect fishers' right to form and join unions and to bargain collectively. According to ILO NORMLEX (checked 7 October 2026), Fiji has ratified C87 (17 April 2002) and C98 (19 April 1974).

Key points

• C188 sets minimum standards for work on fishing vessels.
• Key protections: written agreement, rest hours, regular pay, no recruitment fees, repatriation, safety, food and water.
• Solomon Islands ratified C188 in January 2026; Fiji has not.

Sources

• ILO C188 Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (NORMLEX)
• PIoWR ratification tracker (source: ILO NORMLEX)

This lesson is general information, not legal advice. Checked 2 October 2026.

Pacific Institute of Workplace Relations — Fair Conditions At Work