European Parliament debate hears calls for tougher fishing labour safeguards
A study presented at the meeting found that 94 per cent of interviewed fishers had experienced unpaid wages, while all had faced less favourable contract terms.
Trade union and international organisation representatives urged stronger enforcement of labour standards in fishing at a European Parliament meeting on 30 September. The debate brought together survivors of exploitation and industry representatives to discuss working conditions and measures against forced labour.
Indonesian fisher Fredi Seprizal described spending 16 months aboard a Chinese vessel, where he said his working days lasted between 16 and 20 hours, sometimes extending to 24 hours without a break. He said safety equipment was inadequate and that the captain withheld his documents, which he had to pay to recover.
Sallie Yea, a professor and researcher at Charles Sturt University, presented research drawing on interviews with 121 fishers and 32 relatives from the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Fiji. Among the fishers interviewed, 94 per cent had experienced non-payment of wages and all had had their contracts altered to worse terms. One in four had witnessed a crewmate’s death.
Yea called for scrutiny of contracts and wages, mechanisms to resolve labour complaints, safeguards against retaliation and accountability for recruitment agencies. Carmen Crespo, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries, said competitiveness should not come at the expense of sustainability, safety or workers’ rights.
The EU’s forced labour regulation will be introduced in stages until December 2027. The Organisation of Associated Producers of Large Frozen Tuna Vessels (OPAGAC), which promoted the meeting alongside Hands for the Oceans, argued that entry to the European market should depend on meeting standards equivalent to those required of Europe’s fleet.
