30 NGOs have called Thailand not to derail the ratification of the international Work in Fishing Convention. This convention aims to protect fishers from human rights abuses.
As the NGOs said:
Fishing workers, through the very nature of their work, are especially vulnerable to human trafficking as well as forced, bonded and slave labour, operating as they do in isolated and hazardous conditions. To protect this vulnerable group, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has established basic standards of decent work in the fishing industry.
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Especially in Thailand, there are more than 222,000 migrant workers in the seafood sector and about 71,000 migrant workers on board fishing vessels. However, the Thai fishing industry has been responsible for systematic illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices, and pervasive, horrific human rights abuses, the NGOs added.
The ratification of ILO’s Work in Fishing Convention (C188) would be a major step forward as it will ensure that vulnerable fishing workers are sufficiently protected while they work in one of the most dangerous working environments in the world.
Namely, the Convention sets minimum labor standards to improve the safety, health and medical care for workers on board fishing vessels, as well as ensuring they have the protection of a written work agreement and the same social security protections as national workers.
As a matter of fact, the Royal Thai Government has already taken several important steps towards ratification of C188, including holding an initial tripartite meeting as well as numerous public hearings. These consultations have paved the way for the successful ratification of this critical convention in the near future.
We call on the Royal Thai Government to ensure the key provisions of the Convention are included in any final legislation that the Royal Thai Government adopts.
What the NGOs recommend is protections to be preserved in order to ensure a decent working and living conditions for the fishers onboard vessels and social security protections. These provisions will prevent workers from being exploited by ’employers who pay sub-minimum wages, refuse to ensure overtime is voluntary and compensated, and engage in debt bondage and forced labor.’
In addition, making sure that fishers are included fully in the social security system is vital to protect them if they suffer an occupational accident or an illness. What is more, including these provisions will provide workers the much needed statutory social security benefits.
Other core principles that need to be maintained in the legislation include ensuring a minimum age for fishers, payment of minimum wages, and enforcing limits on working hours.
