Greenpeace and 33 other human rights, environmental and labor organizations from around the world on Thursday called on the government to initiate reforms to address the “persistent and systemic issues of forced labor” on Taiwanese distant-water fishing (DWF) fleets.
The demand comes as fish caught on Taiwan-registered vessels were last month classified as products of forced labor for the first time this year by the US Department of State, a sign that reforms are needed, the coalition said in a statement.
“We call on the Taiwanese government to initiate structural reforms, and ensure fishing vessel owners and seafood traders adhere to all relevant international human rights, labor and environmental standards,” Greenpeace senior adviser Andy Shen said.
Businesses around the world that source from Taiwanese fishing vessels are watching closely to see how the government responds, he added.
Only when Taiwanese fishing vessel owners adhere to “international human rights, labor and environmental standards” can conditions improve for migrant fishers in the DWF industry, he said.
First on the group’s list of demands is that all fishers in the nation be protected under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), from which foreign laborers are excluded.
Including them in the act would entitle them to the same rights and protection as Taiwanese fishers, the coalition said.
The hiring and management of migrant fishers is currently governed by a separate law, and they are under the purview of the Fisheries Agency, which does not specialize in labor issues, instead of the Ministry of Labor, it said.
Human rights groups and advocates for migrants have also accused the government of only focusing on the interests of Taiwanese fishing boat owners and the fishing industry, which is one of the biggest in the world in terms of number of vessels operating in distant seas, the tens of thousands of migrant workers it employs, and the amount of catch.
The coalition also urged the government to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention, which has a set of standards for work agreements, rest periods and living conditions on board that the vessels that should be provided to fishers.
Other demands include increasing the frequency and reliability of inspections of fishing vessels, as well as abolishing the practice of allowing Taiwanese boats to register in other countries that have looser labor laws, a practice known as flying flags of convenience.
The coalition called for increased transparency by having 100 percent observer coverage on DWF vessels, either through using electronic catch monitoring cameras and sensors or having a specialist on board.
The observer’s job is to monitor whether there are contraventions of working conditions or the quantity and types of fish caught on the vessel.
Currently, only 10 percent of Taiwanese DWF vessels have observers on board, according to the statement.
The list of demands have been sent to the Executive Yuan, the ministry and the Fisheries Agency, the coalition said.
It has also been sent to the US Department of Labor, which welcomed the recommendations and said it would use them in future engagements with the Taiwanese government, the coalition said.
In response to the coalition’s demands, Hsieh Chien-chien (謝倩蒨), director-general of the ministry’s Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment, said the management of migrant fishers was the responsibility of the Fisheries Agency.
The agency said in a statement that it has continued to discuss these topics with related groups, and would increase checks to ensure that migrant fishers’ salaries are paid without illegal deductions, and that improvements are made to working hours and living conditions.
DEEPER REVIEW: After receiving 19 hospital reports of suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health applied for an epidemiological investigation A buffet restaurant in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) is to be fined NT$3 million (US$91,233) after it remained opened despite an order to suspend operations following reports that 32 people had been treated for suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. The health department said it on Tuesday received reports from hospitals of people who had suspected food poisoning symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, after they ate at an INPARADISE (饗饗) branch in Breeze Xinyi on Sunday and Monday. As more than six people who ate at the restaurant sought medical treatment, the department ordered the
A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change. On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County. More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m,
Taiwan’s population last year shrank further and births continued to decline to a yearly low, the Ministry of the Interior announced today. The ministry published the 2024 population demographics statistics, highlighting record lows in births and bringing attention to Taiwan’s aging population. The nation’s population last year stood at 23,400,220, a decrease of 20,222 individuals compared to 2023. Last year, there were 134,856 births, representing a crude birth rate of 5.76 per 1,000 people, a slight decline from 2023’s 135,571 births and 5.81 crude birth rate. This decrease of 715 births resulted in a new record low per the ministry’s data. Since 2016, which saw
SECURITY: To protect the nation’s Internet cables, the navy should use buoys marking waters within 50m of them as a restricted zone, a former navy squadron commander said A Chinese cargo ship repeatedly intruded into Taiwan’s contiguous and sovereign waters for three months before allegedly damaging an undersea Internet cable off Kaohsiung, a Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) investigation revealed. Using publicly available information, the Liberty Times was able to reconstruct the Shunxing-39’s movements near Taiwan since Double Ten National Day last year. Taiwanese officials did not respond to the freighter’s intrusions until Friday last week, when the ship, registered in Cameroon and Tanzania, turned off its automatic identification system shortly before damage was inflicted to a key cable linking Taiwan to the rest of
RSS