ILO Ship to Shore Rights
The Ship to Shore Rights Project, funded by the European Union, works with the Thai Government, employers’ organizations, workers’ organizations and buyers towards the prevention and reduction of unacceptable forms of work in Thailand’s fishing and seafood industries.Building More Effective Enforcement in Thai Fishing
This new short film shows how trade union organizing and CSO support for migrant workers have helped bring seafood processing workers and fishers to the centre of the debate over reform of the Thai fishing industry. Ship to Shore Rights partners highlighted in the film include Fishers’ Rights Network (ITF/FRN), Raks Thai Foundation, State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation (SERC) Foundation, Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF), and Stella Maris Seafarers’ Centre. This is the fourth short film in the Ship to Shore Rights series that includes Ratification of the Forced Labour Protocol (P. 29), Best practices for enforcement in fishing, and Revised Good Labour Practices programme for the seafood industry.Less is More: How Policy and Technology can Impact the Thai Labour Market for Work in Fishing
The study demonstrates how simple vessel upgrades help purse seiner owners reduce labour demand and make their industry more sustainable. Installing simple hydraulic “power block” systems to help pull in nets has reduced crew size by 40 percent on board a working Pattani purse seiner reconfigured with support from the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). An upgraded refrigeration system preserved fish quality and has increased revenue per trip by 10 percent. With lower labour costs and higher earnings, net profits are expected to climb up to 59% in the second year after reconfiguration.
Project Objectives
The project addresses four core objectives with special focus on Thailand’s key fishing and seafood regions:
Strengthen Policy
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 Government
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
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).
Support Workers
Increase capacity of unions and CSOs to support workers and victims of labour abuses including women and children.In recent years, a number of graphic reports have triggered an 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 EU-Funded ILO “Ship to Shore Rights” Project (“Combatting Unacceptable Forms of Work in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Industry”) works closely with partners including the Thai Government, employers' organizations, workers' organizations and buyers towards the prevention and reduction of unacceptable forms of work in the Thai fishing and seafood processing sectors.
The project addresses 4 core objectives covering the 22 coastal provinces of Thailand, with special focus on Thailand’s key fishing and seafood provinces including Samut Sakhon, Chonburi, Rayong, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Phang Nga, Phuket, Trat, Ranong, Trang, Songkhla and Pattani.
Project Contact
ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia & Lao People’s Democratic RepublicUnited 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.