Indonesia is to resume allowing its fishermen to work on Taiwanese vessels, seven months after it announced a suspension in a bid to improve the working conditions of the workers, an Indonesian official said.
Agency of Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers head Nusron Wahid said the agency has reached an agreement with brokerage firms and is to resume sending its fishermen to work in Taiwan.
In mid-March, a number of foreign worker brokerage firms in Taiwan were notified that they could no longer recruit Indonesian fishermen.
Statistics showed that more than 10,000 foreigners work on Taiwanese fishing vessels, of which 8,800, or more than 85 percent, are from Indonesia.
If allowed to continue, the ban on Indonesian fishermen working on Taiwanese vessels would have had a significant impact on Taiwan’s fishing industry, one of the biggest in the world.
In July, several Taiwanese brokerage firms sent a delegation to Indonesia to talk with authorities and urge them to resume allowing Indonesians to work on Taiwanese vessels.
Indonesian officials had originally demanded a wage hike, overtime pay and eliminating deductions for meals from the migrant workers’ monthly wages, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement.
However, the agency has asked Taiwanese brokers to improve the working conditions for Indonesian fishermen, including shortening their working hours and providing accommodation for them when vessels reach ports.
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