Two groups and a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker yesterday called on the government to include in the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) the 20,000 migrant fishermen working on distant water fishing fleets, saying that working conditions exploit migrant workers on Taiwanese boats.
Migrant workers who work on Taiwanese fishing vessels that operate on international waters are not protected by the act and are underpaid and often become victims of abuse, Greenpeace Taiwan and Yilan Migrant Fishermen Union said.
Union secretary-general Lee Li-hua (李麗華) said migrant fishermen working in Taiwan’s territorial waters are protected by the act, but those who work on distant water fishing fleets are not and their status outside the law endangers their lives and human rights.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Lee showed images of an Indonesian migrant worker, named Supriyanto, whose death on board the Taiwanese fishing vessel Fu Tzu Chun in September last year highlighted what she called the near enslavement of migrant fishermen.
The images, which were taken before his death, which showed bruises and contusions on his head, suggesting that he had been physically abused, Lee said.
Greenpeace Taiwan showed interviews of migrant fishermen to reveal exploitative working conditions onboard the boats, saying that they have to work more than 18 hours a day to earn about NT$10,000 per month, while they have to pay a considerable sum to brokers, which can reduce their salary to as little as NT$1,500 per month.
“The Ministry of Labor should include migrant fishermen working outside Taiwan’s territory in the Labor Standards Act to improve their working conditions, so Taiwan no longer bears the shame of slave keeping. The government should regard distant fishing vessels as an extension of Taiwan’s territory and extend legal protection to workers onboard,” Lee said.
Ministry senior specialist Chen Chang-pang (陳昌邦) said the act can only be extended to migrant workers working in Taiwan or Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, adding that an inter-ministerial decision made in 2013 stipulated that distant water fishing fleet cannot be taken as an extension of Taiwanese territory and the Fisheries Agency should be responsible for overseeing migrant crew members.
Agency officials said that an administrative order stipulates that employers of migrant fishermen have to register employees with local governments, which can fine employers who fail to complete registration.
“Migrant crew members on distant fishing fleets are not protected by the laws, but have to pay for food and insurance, and a large number of those workers are not registered, making Taiwan’s fisheries industry an enslaving system,” DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said.
Lin called on the agency to formulate guidance for migrant fishermen and monitor the working conditions onboard ships, while urging the ministry to extend the act to cover all migrant workers.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
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Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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