Migrant fishers working on two Taiwanese distant-water fishing vessels might have been subjected to forced labor, including withheld wages and excessive working hours, with some of their catch being sold to Japanese fish markets, a joint report released yesterday by Taiwanese and Japanese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) showed.
The report, compiled by the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) and Japan-based Human Rights Now, was based on interviews with mostly Indonesian crew members from two Taiwanese-flagged vessels — the You Fu (銪富) and the Yu Shun No. 668 (裕順668號).
Matthew, a former You Fu crew member, told a news conference in Taipei that his employer informed him he was being paid monthly via bank transfers and received pay slips showing that his family received US$250 each month.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
In reality, his wages were only paid in cash when the vessel docked in Taiwan, he said.
Ten Indonesian crew members from the You Fu told a news conference in Taipei in August last year that they were owed 11 to 15 months of wages, totaling about US$80,850, the report said.
Another former You Fu crew member, Julkifil, said they often worked 18 to 20 hours a day, despite contracts guaranteeing at least eight hours of daily rest.
A third crew member, Astanu, said the boat had no Wi-Fi on board, leaving them unable to contact their families except briefly while in port.
TAHR senior researcher Shih Yi-hsiang (施逸翔) said the testimonies showed that the You Fu met eight of 11 indicators of forced labor identified by the International Labour Organization, including deception, excessive overtime and withheld wages.
Meanwhile, 12 foreign crew members of the Yu Shun No. 668 were stranded in Taiwan in October last year after the shipowner went bankrupt, leaving them unpaid and jobless for months, the report showed.
The workers endured poor living conditions with sporadic power and water cuts, it said.
Control Yuan member Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) has launched an investigation into the claims.
Prosecutors investigating the You Fu case found that its catch was sold by Taiwan-based seafood exporter FCF Co to Japan through a subsidiary, FCN.
The Yu Shun No. 668 was previously part of an ultra-low temperature longline fleet operated by Japanese company Singaz Japan.
The TAHR in a statement urged the Taiwanese government to abolish the current employment system that classifies migrant distant-water fishers as “foreign workers,” and extend to protections to them under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法).
It also called for legislation requiring that all distant-water vessels to install Wi-Fi for crew members to file complaints and contact their families.
Momori Nakagawa of Human Rights Now said that although Japan has laws against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the regulations focus solely on resource management and do not address human rights violations.
Human Rights Now secretary-general Ryutaro Ogawa urged the Taiwanese, Japanese and Indonesian governments to establish a joint “human rights violation accountability system,” saying that such problems can only be resolved through international cooperation.
The Fisheries Agency said it intervened in both cases after receiving complaints, and that all migrant crew members have received the wages they were owed.
The agency said that the incidents are being investigated by law-enforcement authorities after it filed reports of suspected forced labor.
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