- The Work in Fishing Convention (C188) was adopted at the 96th International Labour Organization held in the year 2007. Standards for decent work, health facilities, access to medical care and social protection have been established through the said Convention. The Sri Lankan fishing industry, which employs over 315,000 fishermen, is highly informal due to its nature and traditional activities, and faces various challenges in terms of occupational safety, health and working conditions. Therefore, the joint proposal made by the Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources and the Minister of Labour to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention (C188) and to implement the Regulations in a phased manner to establish those standards, enabling to introduce internationally recognized standards of the Fishery Industry in order to successfully address those challenges, was approved by the Cabinet.