Labour minister suggests legal boats 'borrow' idled fishermen

Labour minister suggests legal boats 'borrow' idled fishermen

Hundreds of fishing boats across Thailand remain in port, unable to meet new rules against illegal fishing. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)
Hundreds of fishing boats across Thailand remain in port, unable to meet new rules against illegal fishing. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)

Labour Minister Surasak Karnjanarat on Monday suggested that fishing operators who’ve met their obligations under new illegal-fishing rules take on idled crewmembers from boats unable to go to sea.

The minister said fishermen on boats still trying to comply with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing standards have nothing to do while their employers remain in port.

According to a report from the Labour Protection and Welfare Department, most boats remaining in port are undergoing improvements to meet IUU requirements on legal fishing gear and vessel-tracking equipment. Both are needed to obtain proper licences.

The IUU rules, also aimed at combatting human trafficking, require employers to improve their employment conditions by instituting such things as labour contacts and welfare benefits.

Legally, employers who idle their boats still must pay their crews. Meanwhile, some boats operating legally are running short of registered workers.

Gen Surasak said he believes legal operators should "borrow" crewmembers from boats stuck in port. Of course, the original employers must consent, Gen Surasak noted.

The minister added that he had instructed the Employment Department to look into this matter in details and come up with the needed regulatory changes this week.

In a related development, Waranont Pitiwan, deputy director-general of the Labour Welfare and Protection Department, said his agency conducted an examination of labour forces in the fishing industry in 22 provinces from Oct 1 to June 25.

The department examined 1,182 fishing boats with 14,358 employees and found that 88 of the boats had violated the ministerial regulation on the protection of fishing crews.

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