…Some of the UK’s leading supermarkets including Tesco’s, Saindbury’s, Aldi and Lidl are in talks to pilot a scheme with the the Seafood Ethics Action (SEA) Alliance, the Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA), and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to bolster the rights of fishers in the UK.

The pilot, which will take place in North-East Scotland, looks to deliver a “worker-driven social responsibility programme,” which would give migrant workers on fishing boats greater abilities to report grievances, and set wage standards…

The SWFPA’s CEO, Mike Park, added that grievance mechanisms and third-party audits have been a particular pain point for the fishing industry.

Park told SM: “… we require a bespoke model. This has got to be the full chain. It’s got to involve the fishermen, it’s got to involve the processors, it’s got to involve the retailers.”

Park explained he had worked with the Fair Food Program in the US, which looks to improve conditions for farmworkers to understand “best practice” in preventing labour abuse. He explained the SEA Alliance was working with ITF and retailers to adapt the Fair Food Programme to the UK…