Building More Effective Enforcement in Thai Fishing
The Thai government established over 30 Port in/Port out (PIPO) Control Centers in 22 coastal provinces to conduct labour inspection on fishing vessels and at ports. Thailand ratified the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C188) in early 2019, and is now focusing more on effective enforcement. ILO developed a new training programme with the Ministry of Labour to train new labour inspectors, reinforcing them on inspection skills, knowledge about workers’ rights and forced labour indicators.
Combatting Forced Labour in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Industry
Thailand’s ratification of the Protocol 2014 of the Forced Labour Convention (P29) – the first country in Asia to do so – marked an important shift in the country’s fishing and seafood industry. These changes were a product of tripartite debates and are powerful signals to workers, employers and trading partners in the region of Thailand’s commitment to confront the problem of forced labour.
Building More Effective Enforcement in Thai Fishing
The Thai government established over 30 Port in/Port out (PIPO) Control Centers in 22 coastal provinces to conduct labour inspection on fishing vessels and at ports. Thailand ratified the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C188) in early 2019, and is now focusing more on effective enforcement. ILO developed a new training programme with the Ministry of Labour to train new labour inspectors, reinforcing them on inspection skills, knowledge about workers’ rights and forced labour indicators.
Combatting Forced Labour in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Industry
Thailand’s ratification of the Protocol 2014 of the Forced Labour Convention (P29) – the first country in Asia to do so – marked an important shift in the country’s fishing and seafood industry. These changes were a product of tripartite debates and are powerful signals to workers, employers and trading partners in the region of Thailand’s commitment to confront the problem of forced labour.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The project addresses four core objectives with special focus on Thailand’s key fishing and seafood regions:
Strengthen the legal, policy and regulatory framework in the fishing and seafood sectors by raising labour standards and facilitating more legal migration into the seafood & fishing sectors.
Enhance the capacity of Government officers to effectively identify and take action against forced labour and other labour rights abuses in the fishing & seafood processing sectors.
Improve compliance with the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (Core Labour Standards) in the seafood and fishing industries through the implementation of the Good Labour Practices (GLP).
Increase capacity of unions and CSOs to support workers and victims of labour abuses including women and children.
Combatting Unacceptable Forms of Work in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Industry
In recent years, a number of graphic reports have triggered increased awareness of the serious human and labour rights abuses committed in the Thai commercial fishing and seafood processing industries, particularly against migrant workers. The Thai Government, industry, workers’ organizations and civil society organizations have all stepped up efforts to respond to these abuses. This EU-funded ILO project works closely with these partners towards the prevention and reduction of unacceptable forms of work in the Thai fishing and seafood processing sectors.
Decent Work Day is celebrated around the world to draw attention again to the need for work that is productive, that delivers a fair income and equally importantly work in which the protection of labour rights is a fundamental and irreplaceable element of national policies and development strategies.
PROJECT CONTACT
ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia & Lao People’s Democratic Republic
United Nations Building, Rajdamnern Nok Ave
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: +662 288 1766
Fax: +662 280 1735
Email: [email protected]
PARTNERS
Ministry of Labour (MOL), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS): Royal Thai Navy; workers’ and employers’ organizations; industry associations; civil society organizations; and buyer/retailer groups.
