Working conditions for fishermen on Thai trawlers are not up to standard, the United Nations labour agency said on Monday.
The result was unveiled in a survey reported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Asian Research Centre on Migration of Chulalongkorn University.
Staff interviewed 596 fishermen, most of them immigrants from Myanmar and Cambodia, who worked on trawlers operating out of Ranong, Songkhla, Rayong and Samut Sakhon between May and September last year.
According to the survey, 78%, of the respondents said they did not receive standard benefits and only 14 of the respondents had health insurance cards, and only two had special compensation and accident insurance.
Thirty-two respondents said they felt they were deceived or coerced into working in the fishing sector by agents in Thailand and abroad, and also by their relatives.
The problem was especially pronounced among long-haul fishermen, those who work at sea for more than a month at a time, with 16% of them stating that they have worked against their will.
The study concluded that 17% of the people surveyed said they were unable to quit their job despite their desire to leave. These workers fall into two groups those who could not leave due to financial penalties and those who were afraid of being threaten by those in charge.
“Of the 596 fishers interviewed, only one had a Thai work permit,” ILO project coordinator Max Tunon said. “And 17%, or 101, said they were working against their will.”
The ILO will forward its findings to the government and to fishing employers and workers to strengthen protection for fishers.
Other initiatives are also underway including measures to improve labour inspection and occupational safety and health, development of a code of conduct and a good labour practices training programme for vessel owners and captains.
This improved understanding of the situation will help to formulate evidence-based policy responses for regulating the recruitment and employment of fishers and preventing and eliminating all unacceptable forms of work; Supang Chantavanich, director of the centre was quoted as saying in the ILO press release.
Improving working conditions is also vital to addressing the severe labour shortages in the fishing sector, and to ensure the sustainability of the industry, she added.
Thailand is a major supplier in the global trade in fish products, with fish exports exceeding US$7 billion per annum in recent years.
The National Fisheries Association of Thailand has estimated 142,845 fishermen employed by their members and the number could be higher if related industries are included.
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