The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology welcomed the agreement reached Wednesday between the Azores Fisheries Federation and associations and unions in the sector with a view to signing the Collective Labour Agreement on Fishing.
 
Gui Menezes stressed that the signing of this agreement, scheduled for April 12, "is a historical landmark in Azorean fishing to the extent that the Collective Labour Agreement will regulate the labour relations between fishers and shipowners. It imposes rights and duties on each party, always taking into consideration the specificities" of this activities, such as the predictability of catches.
 
The Regional Secretary stressed that the Azorean Government has been "deeply committed" to the implementation of this agreement since 2015, having promoted "several information sessions with shipowners from all islands."
 
Gui Menezes defended that the signing of the Collective Labour Agreement represents "a major change in the sector," adding that it "shows some maturity" on the part of fishing professionals.
 
The regional fishing sector "is moving to another level of development," stated the government official. He noted that this agreement will contribute to "reducing precarious work and some informality" in fishing activity as well as "greater equity in income distribution."
 
However, the Regional Secretary emphasised that "many Azorean fishing companies, fortunately, have already implemented employment contracts."
 
"With this Collective Labour Agreement, we are taking a very important step towards the dignity of the fishing profession and the social cohesion of our fishing communities," defended Gui Menezes.
 
In the final version of the Collective Labour Agreement, discussed Wednesday, it was determined that whenever the amount of the fixed payment is below the regional minimum wage, the employer will guarantee the payment of difference, provided that the fisher has worked, at least, 160 hours per month.