The Secretariat of the Regional Plan of Action to Promote Responsible Fishing Practices including Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (RPOA-IUU), in close collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) convened the regional workshop "Introducing Decent Working Conditions in the Fisheries Sector" on 15 September in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The two-day workshop brought together RPOA-IUU participating countries, labour authorities, law enforcement agencies, representatives of fishers and fisheries business operators to discuss the links between IUU fishing and labour exploitation. It also provided an opportunity for participants to explore how promoting decent working conditions can contribute to preventing IUU fishing.
Saiful Umam, the Executive Director of the RPOA-IUU Secretariat said that responsible fisheries are not only about managing the fish stocks sustainably but also it is about acknowledging the social aspects within the entire ecosystem-based fisheries management. States have a mandate and responsibility to ensure that fisheries activities provide safe, healthy and fair working and living conditions and in line with internationally agreed standards.
We encourage the RPOA-IUU participating countries to promote the decent working conditions within their national fisheries management system to achieve safe and responsible fisheries across this region.
Saiful Umam, the Executive Director of the RPOA-IUU Secretariat
Yudhistira Rizky Abdillah, the Vice Executive Director of the RPOA-IUU Secretariat, also emphasized that IUU fishing is not merely an environmental or economic issue. It is also intertwined with labour exploitation and crew welfare. The non-compliant actors may cut operational cost, leading to failing to provide decent, fair and safe conditions for fishing crew.
"We can reflect on the recent transnational IUU fishing case by FV Run Zeng 03 and 05 in 2024 that was collaboratively resolved by Indonesia, PNG and Australia. These illegal fishing vessels committed to not only illegal fishing and other associated crimes, but also failed to implement the decent working conditions. I believe that once the vessel is engaged in one illegal activity, all aspects of its operations should be checked for legality. Therefore, promoting decent working conditions could facilitate prevention from IUU fishing and noncompliance," Abdillah concluded.
© ILO
Simrin Singh, the ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste welcomed the partnership with RPOA IUU: "the inclusion of decent work for fishers as part of RPOA-IUU's work plan and agenda is an important step towards integration of labour and social impact issues into responsible fisheries management. Abuse and exploitation of fishers are fundamentally at odds with the goal of sustainable fisheries. This regional workshop addresses these interconnected challenges - ending IUU fishing while ensuring that fishers have safe and decent working and living conditions".
The workshop highlighted international standards concerning fishers' working and living conditions, including the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No.188) which addresses conditions of work and service, occupational safety and health, medical care and social security. It also highlighted recent regional efforts to improve living and working conditions for fishers including standards adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and ASEAN.
The inclusion of decent work for fishers as part of RPOA-IUU's work plan and agenda is an important step towards integration of labour and social impact issues into responsible fisheries management. Abuse and exploitation of fishers are fundamentally at odds with the goal of sustainable fisheries.
Simrin Singh, the ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste
Several recommendations made during the workshop included harmonization national legislation with the principles of ILO Convention No.188 and relevant regional crew welfare standards, Inter-agency coordination to improve safety and working conditions in the fisheries sector, and the integration strategy to implement international labour standards into regional frameworks.
Building on the RPOA-IUU's core elements and objectives, participating countries shared their national and best practices in implementing decent working conditions. A core outcome of this workshop is to discuss the practical strategies and actionable steps on how to integrate decent working conditions into the RPOA-IUU's regional strategies.
Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia: Safe Migration for Decent Work in the Blue Economy is a regional initiative funded by the EU. The ILO implements the programme in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with the overall objective of promoting safe migration and decent work for a sustainable fish and seafood supply chain in South-East Asia.
