Unions, NGOs form coalition to demand Taiwan-Indonesia fishery MOU

Taipei, May 17 (CNA) Seven fishers' unions in Taiwan and Indonesia and 12 other civic groups have formed a coalition to press Taipei and Jakarta to finalize a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to ensure the labor rights of migrant fishers working on Taiwanese fishing vessels.

The "historic" coalition marks the first time Taiwanese and Indonesian unions and civil society organizations have come together to advocate for migrant fishers, the groups said in a joint statement on Thursday.

"We're calling on Taiwan to follow international best practices and live up to its commitment to support labor rights for all workers, including in international agreements," said Achmad Mudzakir, chairman of FOSPI, the largest Indonesian migrant fishers' association in Taiwan.

In the statement, the groups vowed to provide "evidence-based input" to relevant Indonesian and Taiwanese authorities relating to several demands previously made, which they said should be included in the MOU.

The demands seek to ensure Indonesian fishers' fundamental labor rights and decent work, freedom of association and freedom from retaliation, the right to enter into collective bargaining agreements, the provision of Wi-Fi on distant water fishing vessels, fair pay, proper grievance handling mechanisms, and employer accountability for labor recruitment, including paying recruitment fees and related costs in full.

Those demands were communicated to the Taiwanese and Indonesian authorities by some members of the coalition on March 1 and again to the Indonesian government during a focus group discussion on the protection of Indonesian migrant fishers on May 6.

During the discussion, Judha Nugraha, director of the protection of citizens at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry had "taken note of and considered all the recommendations" presented by the coalition.

"We acknowledge the complex nature of migrant fishers' protection and commit to resume discussion with the coalition and other stakeholders to brainstorm all relevant issues and best practices on Indonesian migrant fishers' protection," Nugraha said at the time.

However, it has yet to receive a formal response from the Taiwanese government, the coalition said.

Taiwan's Fisheries Agency told CNA that it would take the groups' demands under advisement when drafting the proposed MOU, which it indicated could be discussed with relevant Indonesian government agencies.

The United States Department of Labor included Taiwan-caught fish on its "List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor" in both 2020 and 2022 after several investigations and reports by international NGOs confirmed the existence of systemic forced labor in the Taiwanese fishing industry.