Congress approves repeal of the law of the Obligatory Insurance of the Artisanal Fisherman

The Plenary of Congress approved this Wednesday the substitute text of bills 360 and 361, with which the Law that creates the Compulsory Insurance for Artisanal Fishermen (SOPA, Law 30636).

With 107 votes in favor, this initiative was given the green light, which was supported by the president of the Production Commission, Bernardo Quito (Peru Libre).

The legislator recalled that favorable opinions were received from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Ministry of Production (Produce), as well as from the Federation of Integration and Unification of Artisanal Fishermen of Peru, given that the implementation of compulsory insurance in question could not be implemented as it had limited coverage compared to others that are already applied for the benefit of artisanal fishermen.

Quito recalled that currently fishing workers already have the Complementary Risk Work Insurance, which is mandatory for the granting of the departure, as well as the Comprehensive Health Insurance (SIS) that covers risks and illnesses generated as a result of fishing activity.

“Law 30636 obliges the artisanal fisherman to pay additional insurance to the Complementary Insurance for Risky Work, causing him higher additional costs. Finally, from the operational point of view, insurers do not show interest in offering the insurance created by law 30636 because the number of vessels is small and without the possibility of increasing”, he noted.

In that sense, he specified that if insurers cannot build an offer for SOPA insurance, it makes no sense for a law to order it because no favorable result is generated.

Finally, Quito recalled that according to Produce data, currently 69% of artisanal fishermen have risk insurance.