Bill on protection of fishing crew sails through, despite protests from operators

[webfact]

Bill on protection of fishing crew sails through, despite protests from operators

By KANITTHA THEPAJORN 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

A DRAFT bill for the better protection of fishing-vessel crews sailed through the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday.

 

NLA members voted unanimously to endorse the Bill on Labour Protection in the Fisheries Sector, which the government said would bring the conditions on fishing vessels up to par with the C188 Work in Fishing Convention. 

 

The new law will apply to large commercial vessels, not small fishermen. 

 

Only fishing vessels that go out to sea for more than three days at a time and exceed 26.5 metres in length, or those that venture beyond Thai waters for three days will be subject to the law. 

 

The bill requires owners to ensure accommodation, food, safety, welfare and work conditions on their boats are in line with seven related laws, including the fisheries law, labour relations law and compensation law. Thailand ratified the C188 earlier this month.

 

 

Unrealistic demands

 

Many fishing operators have been protesting over the past few years against the ratification of C188, claiming that its requirements are too strict and unrealistic. 

 

For instance, they said the requirements to provide one bedroom and toilet for every four workers, and for each vessel to include a library, a fitness room and a recreation room were too expensive to meet.

 

Thai authorities, however, have said that the C188 measures would be implemented to match the Thai context, with a focus on providing fishing workers with decent working conditions, fair working hours, decent accommodation, food, water and medical care.

 

Thailand’s fishing industry has been suffering from a serious labour shortage, with workers complaining about harsh and often brutal work conditions. According to the Labour Rights Promotion Network, fishing-vessel workers earned just Bt5,000 per month in 2011 and rarely got the 1 per cent commission per catch they were promised.

 

Even more worrying were findings that fishing-vessel captains often paid guards to attack those who disobeyed their orders and even abandoned some disobedient workers on small islets as punishment.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30364153

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-15

[Samui Bodoh]

"...The bill requires owners to ensure accommodation, food, safety, welfare and work conditions on their boats are in line with seven related laws, including the fisheries law, labour relations law and compensation law. Thailand ratified the C188 earlier this month..."

 

This all sounds very nice, but does anyone think that there will be serious enforcement? The likeliest outcome is that Thailand will have a pretty new law to point to when foreigners complain, but serious enforcement will continue to be a joke.

 

As much as I would like to believe that Thailand is actually serious about this, I would need definitive proof that proper rules and conditions for the workers are actually enforced.

 

Sorry Thailand, your reputation precedes you...

 

[flyingtlger]

Good luck enforcing the new law....

[yogavnture]

dont eat fish fishing boats are huge polluters of the sea. dont support them

[Cadbury]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

A DRAFT bill for the better protection of fishing-vessel crews sailed through the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday.

Is this some sort of joke? Every Bill "sails" through the NLA, by order of the PM.

This is just window dressing for the benefit of the EU and to improve their chances of getting a Free Trade Agreement. Nothing to do with humanitarianism, working conditions and protecting the crews.

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

those that venture beyond Thai waters for three days will be subject to the law. 

be a lot of three-ish day trips

[SOTIRIOS]

...the obvious question is...Why would anyone oppose it???....

 

...those are the ones to monitor closely...???