“DOES NEW LABOR DEAL MEAN MIGRANT FISHERMEN WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS WIFI?”

…A NEW AGREEMENT between Taiwanese seafood associations and Indonesian labor unions will take effect this month. Significantly, one of the provisions of the agreement is that Wifi will be implemented on fishing vessels.

A campaign to call for the implementation of wi-fi on fishing vessels has been ongoing from Taiwanese civil society groups for some time. In particular, migrant fishermen often spend months, if not years at sea without returning to shore. To this extent, migrant fishermen carry out work under conditions that have been labeled modern slavery, seeing as despite working twenty or more hours a day, they sometimes do not receive pay and face the threat of physical violence on the high seas.

The lack of wi-fi access for many migrant fishermen cuts them off from friends and family for months at a time. This isolation contributes to the stresses of work under conditions that are already harsh and hazardous. This also makes it difficult for migrant fishermen to verify if their families have been paid…

The agreement was between the Serikat Pekerja Perikanan Indonesia (SPPI), as well as the Taiwan Tuna Association (TTA) and the Taiwan Squid and Saury Fisheries Association…