ILO Social Challenges Presentation EUFF 2015
Conditions of Work in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Processing Sectors
Situation snapshot and pointers for the future SFP Conference, Madrid, February 2015
Spotlight on the sector • ILO Commi*ee of Experts Observa6ons • US State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report – 6er 3 (2014) • Mul6ple reports from interna6onal organiza6ons, NGOs and media
Industry overview • Thailand is the world’s third largest exporter of seafood products (Over USD 7bn in exports in 2010) • 2 million people employed in fisheries-‐related enterprise and suppor6ng industries: concerns over forced labour and child labour as well as poor labour prac6ce in general • Migrant workers are prevalent throughout the supply chain: vessels, farms, peeling sheds, and factories • High levels of informality in some parts of the supply chain, e.g. vessels and primary processing units • Labour shortages (es6mated 50,000 fishers short) • Limited capacity for law enforcement and promo6ng compliance (10,000 vessel inspec6ons in 2014, no cases of forced labour and child labour found)
Informality in the industry • In an ILO enterprise mapping exercise, over 500 primary processing units located in Samut Sakorn province in 2012, almost all informal. • There are 3,619 registered Thai trawlers in opera6on, but acknowledged by the authori6es that there are a large number of unregistered vessels.
ILO interven:ons • ILO has long history in promo6ng safe migra6on, elimina6on of child labour and forced labour and, in general, decent work in Thailand • Based on interna6onal labour standards and tools, including Conven6on 188 on Work in Fishing, Conven6on 138 on Minimum Age, Conven6on 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour, Conven6on 49 on Aboli6on of Forced labour • Currently two projects • Experiences from these projects form the core of this presenta6on
ILO TRIANGLE Project
• Tripar6te Ac6on to Protect Migrant Workers from Labour Exploita6on • Funded by the Australian Government (2010-‐2015) • Covers 6 countries (Lower Mekong plus Malaysia)
ILO IPEC Project
• Comba6ng the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Shrimp and Seafood Processing Areas in Thailand • Funded by the US Department of Labour (2011-‐2015) • Operates in 5 provinces: Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat
Areas of ac:on 1. Further strengthening the legal and policy framework on the protec6on of workers and elimina6on of child labour 2. Suppor6ng more effec6ve migra:on management 3. Advancing the Good Labour Prac:ces (GLP) programme, with par6cipa6on of the private sector and workers’ groups
Areas of ac:on 1. Demonstra6ng more effec6ve labour inspec:on, especially on board fishing vessels 2. Empowering migrant workers through support services and group forma6on 3. Promo6ng alterna:ves for children (Educa6on for All) 4. Awareness raising and changing aEtudes to migrant workers and children 5. Strengthening bilateral and regional coopera:on
1. Policy and legisla:on • Ground-‐breaking research on condi6ons in the fishing sector, child labour, and enterprise mapping • h*p://www.ilo.org/asia/whatwedo/ projects/lang-‐-‐en/index.htm
1. Policy and legisla:on • Major steps in 2014/15: • Ministerial Regula6on 10 on Sea Fisheries Work was adopted – includes a raising of the minimum age to 18, introduc6on of wri*en contracts, minimum rest hours and greater wage protec6on measures, wider applica6on of inspec6on • Na6onal Programme and Plan II on Child Labour is being finalized (implementa6on and M&E framework under development) • Hazardous child labour list being revised to iden6fy tasks that are not suitable for those under 18
2. Migra:on management Introduce more effec6ve means to address the labour shortages in the fishing and seafood sector, and to reduce the role of brokers • Revise Jobseekers Protec6on Act • Introduce MOU procedures specific for fishers with countries of origin, covering fees, contracts and flexibility in changing employer • Strengthen Labour Coordina6on Centres to register and protect migrant workers • Provide informa6on and support services in migrant sending communi6es
3. Good Labour Prac:ces (GLP) Voluntary industry improvement and training programme to promote compliance with Thai law and interna6onal labour standards • Over 180 enterprises (factories and primary processing units) have signed up. As of September 2014, 73 factories have par6cipated in training and 21 have completed company ac6on plans. Training for primary processing units started earlier in 2014
Mul:-‐stakeholder plaKorm for dialogue • Task Force chaired by Department of Labour Protec6on and Welfare and the Department of Fisheries, with par6cipa6on from industry associa6ons (TFFA and TFPA), trade unions and NGOs • Proposed greater role for buyers’ reference group with representa6ves from US, EU and Australia; and na6onal and interna6onal workers’ groups and NGOs
Road Map Workshop on 15-‐17 October 2014 determined priori6es for 2015-‐17
3. Good Labour Prac:ces (GLP) • Roadmap priori6es: • Expansion of training and facilita6on to en6re sector/supply chain and make GLP widely accepted • Increased stakeholder dialogue on policies and strategies • Establish complaints mechanism, including media6on and remedia6on systems • Explore links between GLP and cer6fica6on schemes • RTG and industry associa6ons have set aside budget, but s6ll limited. Trade unions and NGOs no specific budget • Immediate priori6es: TOT and expansion of GLP, policy dialogue though the need for complaints and (re)media6on becoming very apparent
4. Labour inspec:on The following tools have been developed: • Training modules on inspec6on for child labour, forced labour and hard to reach sectors (integrated in Ministry’s advanced training course for inspectors) • Checklist for inspec6on of fishing vessels • Guidelines for inter-‐ministerial coopera6on on inspec6on in fishing
5-‐day training course carried out for all 120 labour inspectors in the 22 coastal provinces, including joint inspec6ons at sea
4. Upcoming ac:vi:es on inspec:on • Monitoring of regular inspec6ons in all provinces, and coaching / monitoring missions planned in target provinces • Train members of the inter-‐ministerial mobile inspec6on at central and provincial levels • Introduce new monitoring measures including port-‐out/port-‐in controls; indirect inspec6on; database coherence; coopera6on with port-‐state authori6es • Review the mul:ple structural gaps in the labour inspec:on system, including lack of specializa:on, limited mandates, and the use of targets and data
5. Empowering migrant workers • Migrant Worker Resource Centres in countries of origin and Thailand’s coastal provinces – Informa6on, counselling, training and legal assistance – Facilita6ng access to Government complaints mechanism – Group forma6on • Need to establish safe and cheaper remi*ance channels, especially for long-‐haul fishers • Strengthening trade union capacity to represent migrant workers
6. Promo:ng Educa:on for all • Educa6on = alterna6ve to child labour and an investment • Key steps: • Engaging with communi6es and families and raising awareness • Mobilizing schools and employers • Ensuring enrolment especially for un-‐documented migrants and stateless children • Follow-‐up with families, children, schools and communi6es to ensure children stay in schools and receive quality educa6on
Lessons and future priori:es • Complex, deep-‐rooted structural problems and ingrained antudes at the root of labour exploita6on in sector • No quick-‐fix solu6ons -‐ Coherent, strategic ac6on required Improved law enforcement and compliance: • Improvement of mobile inspec6on units, • analysis of structural gaps in inspec6on, • training of inspectors, • improved port-‐in/port-‐out control,
Lessons and future priori:es Migra:on management and labour rela:ons: • don’t stop the flow – remove the exploita6on! • A*en6on to brokers • Right to organize and collec6ve bargaining for migrant workers – work place level! • Complaints and media6on mechanism • Access to informa6on and empowerment for migrant workers
Lessons and future priori:es Improve access to social services for all children and families, including migrant and stateless children • Promote flexible educa6on alterna6ves (non-‐formal, transi6onal, formal, TVET) • Influence public antudes towards migrants and migrants’ rights • Social protec6on • Referral systems for child labourers, at-‐risk children and vic6ms of forced labour
Buyers in the big picture? • Supply chain focus + • Encourage change among suppliers to change systems • Encourage antude changes on responsibili6es, migra6on/ migrant workers etc. • Engage in construc6ve policy dialogue with stakeholders (use GLP!) • Support ini6a6ves to demonstrate effec6ve, holis6c ac6on (e.g. educa6on for all) • Support capacity development among suppliers • Coordinate and communicate with each other and everyone else!
Future steps and events • 2016 International Labour Conference: Special discussion on global supply chains • What are the issues? • Strategies? • Good practice? • Asia regional conference on forced labour organized by ILO 31 March and 01 april 2015 Keep yourself up-to-date on www.ilo.org/regions
Thank you
For more information, please contact:
Max Tunon, TRIANGLE Project Coordinator [email protected] Birgitte Krogh-Poulsen, Chief Technical Advisor, IPEC [email protected] Simrin Singh, Child Labour Specialist South east Asia [email protected] Ivanka Mamic, CSR Specialist Asia [email protected] Ben Smith, Child Labour and CSR Specialist [email protected] www.ilo.org/asia
Situation snapshot and pointers for the future SFP Conference, Madrid, February 2015
Spotlight on the sector • ILO Commi*ee of Experts Observa6ons • US State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report – 6er 3 (2014) • Mul6ple reports from interna6onal organiza6ons, NGOs and media
Industry overview • Thailand is the world’s third largest exporter of seafood products (Over USD 7bn in exports in 2010) • 2 million people employed in fisheries-‐related enterprise and suppor6ng industries: concerns over forced labour and child labour as well as poor labour prac6ce in general • Migrant workers are prevalent throughout the supply chain: vessels, farms, peeling sheds, and factories • High levels of informality in some parts of the supply chain, e.g. vessels and primary processing units • Labour shortages (es6mated 50,000 fishers short) • Limited capacity for law enforcement and promo6ng compliance (10,000 vessel inspec6ons in 2014, no cases of forced labour and child labour found)
Informality in the industry • In an ILO enterprise mapping exercise, over 500 primary processing units located in Samut Sakorn province in 2012, almost all informal. • There are 3,619 registered Thai trawlers in opera6on, but acknowledged by the authori6es that there are a large number of unregistered vessels.
ILO interven:ons • ILO has long history in promo6ng safe migra6on, elimina6on of child labour and forced labour and, in general, decent work in Thailand • Based on interna6onal labour standards and tools, including Conven6on 188 on Work in Fishing, Conven6on 138 on Minimum Age, Conven6on 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour, Conven6on 49 on Aboli6on of Forced labour • Currently two projects • Experiences from these projects form the core of this presenta6on
ILO TRIANGLE Project
• Tripar6te Ac6on to Protect Migrant Workers from Labour Exploita6on • Funded by the Australian Government (2010-‐2015) • Covers 6 countries (Lower Mekong plus Malaysia)
ILO IPEC Project
• Comba6ng the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Shrimp and Seafood Processing Areas in Thailand • Funded by the US Department of Labour (2011-‐2015) • Operates in 5 provinces: Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat
Areas of ac:on 1. Further strengthening the legal and policy framework on the protec6on of workers and elimina6on of child labour 2. Suppor6ng more effec6ve migra:on management 3. Advancing the Good Labour Prac:ces (GLP) programme, with par6cipa6on of the private sector and workers’ groups
Areas of ac:on 1. Demonstra6ng more effec6ve labour inspec:on, especially on board fishing vessels 2. Empowering migrant workers through support services and group forma6on 3. Promo6ng alterna:ves for children (Educa6on for All) 4. Awareness raising and changing aEtudes to migrant workers and children 5. Strengthening bilateral and regional coopera:on
1. Policy and legisla:on • Ground-‐breaking research on condi6ons in the fishing sector, child labour, and enterprise mapping • h*p://www.ilo.org/asia/whatwedo/ projects/lang-‐-‐en/index.htm
1. Policy and legisla:on • Major steps in 2014/15: • Ministerial Regula6on 10 on Sea Fisheries Work was adopted – includes a raising of the minimum age to 18, introduc6on of wri*en contracts, minimum rest hours and greater wage protec6on measures, wider applica6on of inspec6on • Na6onal Programme and Plan II on Child Labour is being finalized (implementa6on and M&E framework under development) • Hazardous child labour list being revised to iden6fy tasks that are not suitable for those under 18
2. Migra:on management Introduce more effec6ve means to address the labour shortages in the fishing and seafood sector, and to reduce the role of brokers • Revise Jobseekers Protec6on Act • Introduce MOU procedures specific for fishers with countries of origin, covering fees, contracts and flexibility in changing employer • Strengthen Labour Coordina6on Centres to register and protect migrant workers • Provide informa6on and support services in migrant sending communi6es
3. Good Labour Prac:ces (GLP) Voluntary industry improvement and training programme to promote compliance with Thai law and interna6onal labour standards • Over 180 enterprises (factories and primary processing units) have signed up. As of September 2014, 73 factories have par6cipated in training and 21 have completed company ac6on plans. Training for primary processing units started earlier in 2014
Mul:-‐stakeholder plaKorm for dialogue • Task Force chaired by Department of Labour Protec6on and Welfare and the Department of Fisheries, with par6cipa6on from industry associa6ons (TFFA and TFPA), trade unions and NGOs • Proposed greater role for buyers’ reference group with representa6ves from US, EU and Australia; and na6onal and interna6onal workers’ groups and NGOs
Road Map Workshop on 15-‐17 October 2014 determined priori6es for 2015-‐17
3. Good Labour Prac:ces (GLP) • Roadmap priori6es: • Expansion of training and facilita6on to en6re sector/supply chain and make GLP widely accepted • Increased stakeholder dialogue on policies and strategies • Establish complaints mechanism, including media6on and remedia6on systems • Explore links between GLP and cer6fica6on schemes • RTG and industry associa6ons have set aside budget, but s6ll limited. Trade unions and NGOs no specific budget • Immediate priori6es: TOT and expansion of GLP, policy dialogue though the need for complaints and (re)media6on becoming very apparent
4. Labour inspec:on The following tools have been developed: • Training modules on inspec6on for child labour, forced labour and hard to reach sectors (integrated in Ministry’s advanced training course for inspectors) • Checklist for inspec6on of fishing vessels • Guidelines for inter-‐ministerial coopera6on on inspec6on in fishing
5-‐day training course carried out for all 120 labour inspectors in the 22 coastal provinces, including joint inspec6ons at sea
4. Upcoming ac:vi:es on inspec:on • Monitoring of regular inspec6ons in all provinces, and coaching / monitoring missions planned in target provinces • Train members of the inter-‐ministerial mobile inspec6on at central and provincial levels • Introduce new monitoring measures including port-‐out/port-‐in controls; indirect inspec6on; database coherence; coopera6on with port-‐state authori6es • Review the mul:ple structural gaps in the labour inspec:on system, including lack of specializa:on, limited mandates, and the use of targets and data
5. Empowering migrant workers • Migrant Worker Resource Centres in countries of origin and Thailand’s coastal provinces – Informa6on, counselling, training and legal assistance – Facilita6ng access to Government complaints mechanism – Group forma6on • Need to establish safe and cheaper remi*ance channels, especially for long-‐haul fishers • Strengthening trade union capacity to represent migrant workers
6. Promo:ng Educa:on for all • Educa6on = alterna6ve to child labour and an investment • Key steps: • Engaging with communi6es and families and raising awareness • Mobilizing schools and employers • Ensuring enrolment especially for un-‐documented migrants and stateless children • Follow-‐up with families, children, schools and communi6es to ensure children stay in schools and receive quality educa6on
Lessons and future priori:es • Complex, deep-‐rooted structural problems and ingrained antudes at the root of labour exploita6on in sector • No quick-‐fix solu6ons -‐ Coherent, strategic ac6on required Improved law enforcement and compliance: • Improvement of mobile inspec6on units, • analysis of structural gaps in inspec6on, • training of inspectors, • improved port-‐in/port-‐out control,
Lessons and future priori:es Migra:on management and labour rela:ons: • don’t stop the flow – remove the exploita6on! • A*en6on to brokers • Right to organize and collec6ve bargaining for migrant workers – work place level! • Complaints and media6on mechanism • Access to informa6on and empowerment for migrant workers
Lessons and future priori:es Improve access to social services for all children and families, including migrant and stateless children • Promote flexible educa6on alterna6ves (non-‐formal, transi6onal, formal, TVET) • Influence public antudes towards migrants and migrants’ rights • Social protec6on • Referral systems for child labourers, at-‐risk children and vic6ms of forced labour
Buyers in the big picture? • Supply chain focus + • Encourage change among suppliers to change systems • Encourage antude changes on responsibili6es, migra6on/ migrant workers etc. • Engage in construc6ve policy dialogue with stakeholders (use GLP!) • Support ini6a6ves to demonstrate effec6ve, holis6c ac6on (e.g. educa6on for all) • Support capacity development among suppliers • Coordinate and communicate with each other and everyone else!
Future steps and events • 2016 International Labour Conference: Special discussion on global supply chains • What are the issues? • Strategies? • Good practice? • Asia regional conference on forced labour organized by ILO 31 March and 01 april 2015 Keep yourself up-to-date on www.ilo.org/regions
Thank you
For more information, please contact:
Max Tunon, TRIANGLE Project Coordinator [email protected] Birgitte Krogh-Poulsen, Chief Technical Advisor, IPEC [email protected] Simrin Singh, Child Labour Specialist South east Asia [email protected] Ivanka Mamic, CSR Specialist Asia [email protected] Ben Smith, Child Labour and CSR Specialist [email protected] www.ilo.org/asia
