Fact sheet

Combatting Unacceptable Forms of Work in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Industry

The project funded by the European Union (EU) aims to address working conditions that deny fundamental principles and rights at work in the Thai fishing and seafood processing industry.

Project document | 17 March 2016




Combatting Unacceptable Forms of Work in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Industry

Project Fact Sheet

In recent years, a number of 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 men, women and children migrant workers. The Thai Government, industry, workers’ organizations and civil society organizations have all stepped up efforts to respond to these abuses. The project will work closely with these partners and beyond to further contribute to the prevention and reduction of unacceptable forms of work in the Thai fishing and seafood processing sectors.

Objectives

The overall objective is to prevent and reduce forced labour, child labour and other unacceptable forms of work, and progressively eliminate the exploitation of workers, particularly migrant workers, in the Thai fishing and seafood processing sectors.

The four specific project objectives are:

To 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 and fishing sectors.

To enhance the capacity of Government officers, including the labour inspectorate, to more effectively identify and take action against human trafficking and other labour rights abuses in the fishing and seafood processing sectors.

To 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) Programme, an effective complaints mechanism with increased awareness and ownership across the supply chain.

To enhance access to support services to workers and victims of labour abuses, including children, through engagement and empowerment of civil society organizations and trade unions.

The issues of gender equality, good governance, private sector engagement and environment will cut across the four objectives of the project.

Expected Results

A strengthened national legal and policy framework and improved social dialogue in the industry

An improved knowledge base on conditions in the industry and on the effectiveness of different types of responses

Increased number of labour inspections of vessels and subsequent orders observed by employers

Enhanced access of workers to an effective conciliation and complaints mechanism, and timely and fair responses to those grievances

Workers associations in the industry strengthened, and links strengthened with trade unions

Effective voluntary compliance tools and processes developed by industry associations in collaboration with workers’ organizations

Increased number of workers withdrawn from forced labour and the worst forms of child labour

Workers and children in the sector have greater access to a range of quality support services provided by NGOs, trade unions and government.

Increased awareness about the conditions in the sector from buyers, retailers, and consumers

Implementation and Cooperation

The project is implemented by the ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR. The project started on 1 February 2016, and will last 42 months.

Activities will be carried out in cooperation with a number of Royal Thai Government

Units including the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare and the Department of

Employment in the Ministry of Labour, the Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the Command Centre to Combat Illegal Fishing (CCCIF); trade unions, workers associations and civil society organizations; employers’ organizations, industry associations and buyers and retailers groups. .

Cooperation with a range of other actors and initiatives at the national, regional and global level will be leveraged to address unacceptable forms of work in the industry..

For more information

ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR

10th Floor, United Nations Building

Rajdamnern Nok Avenue

Bangkok 10250

Tel: 02 288 1000

Fax: 02 288 3060

Email: BANGKOK@ilo.org