Indonesia and Spain sign agreement to protect migrant fishermen

JAKARTA – Indonesia and Spain have signed an agreement on the recognition of Indonesian migrant deckhands as part of efforts to strengthen protection against modern slavery on fishing vessels.

Under the mutual recognition agreement, Spain will verify competency certificates issued by Indonesian authorities to Indonesians wishing to work on Spanish fishing vessels.

“The MRA between Indonesia and Spain requires more detailed information on what administrative requirements are needed to ensure that migrant workers have the guarantees and protections under the law when working in Spain. ” said I. Nyoman Radialta. The head of research and development at the Indonesian Ministry of Fisheries said in a statement released on February 1.

According to the Fisheries Ministry, around 1,000 Indonesians worked on Spanish fishing boats in 2021, earning an average of around 1,000 euros (about $1,075) a month. Indonesians heading abroad to work on foreign fishing vessels are required by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the 1995 Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F), which Indonesia ratified in 2019. You need to obtain a certificate to do so. .

The STCW-F sets out international guidelines to protect crew members working on domestic and international ships, and the IMO will assess Indonesia’s efforts to implement the agreement in 2024.

Indonesia, one of the world’s largest fish producing countries, is home to approximately 2.3 million people known as fishermen and boat crews who work on domestic and foreign-flagged fleets. But many lack proper safety and fishing training, leaving them vulnerable to exploitative employment practices and putting their lives at risk, experts say.

A 2022 study by the NGO Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) Indonesia found that out of 45 deckhands working at Jakarta’s Nizam Zakman Port, the country’s largest fishing port, the majority of deckhands had basic government-issued safety certification. It turns out that only 6% of people do. The relatively high cost of basic training and certification, low awareness of the benefits, and inadequate port inspections are some of the main reasons why fishers do not enroll in certification programs. DFW Indonesia has discovered that there is.

“In general, the MRA is beneficial for the protection of Indonesian crew in Spain, especially for improving the standardization of skills and benefits,” Felicia Nugroho, a researcher at DFW Indonesia, told Mongabay.

“Furthermore, the Indonesian government will also ensure transparency of information regarding administrative requirements and salaries so that immigrant deck crews can escape irresponsible brokers. Data collection on crew members working in Spain will also be properly recorded. You can,” she said.

In recent years, the Indonesian government has promoted formal education at training centers for fishermen and deckhands across the archipelago. In addition to starting free training for small-scale fishermen across the country and updating the fishermen training curriculum to match international standards, it has also begun reforms to thoroughly renovate training and certification facilities. However, experts say additional measures are needed to encourage future maritime workers to participate in the program, such as increasing the involvement of local governments in allocating funding for certification.

“In addition to standardizing certificates, Indonesia also needs to improve the competency standards of domestic graduates through fisheries universities/polytechnics so that the talent can compete in Spain and other countries,” Felicia said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has concluded a “maritime” bilateral agreement to protect the rights of its citizens to engage in fishing activities under the flag of other countries, in order to address issues related to labor abuses and modern slavery. ing. According to Greenpeace, Taiwan’s ocean-going fleet, which ranks among the top five in the world with an annual industry value of $2 billion, is largely made up of immigrant crews from Indonesia and the Philippines.

“We believe the MRA between the Indonesian and Spanish governments is the right step towards raising global awareness of the capabilities of Indonesian migrant fishing crews,” said Arifsha Nasution, Senior Ocean Campaign Strategist, Greenpeace Southeast Asia. he told Mongabay.

“The Indonesian government’s proactive efforts can certainly become more reliable and effective, as long as the integrity of the certification process and the quality of training of Indonesian fishing crews are also continuously improved,” he said. Ta.

Domestically, Indonesia has issued a long-awaited decree to strengthen protections for Indonesian deckhands working on foreign merchant vessels and fishing vessels. The new regulations also include labor plans and condition standards based on the United Nations’ International Labor Organization’s Global Convention on Fishing Labor, known as ILO C188. Introduction of collective bargaining agreements for migrant workers. Build an integrated database on migrant workers among relevant government agencies.

Former migrant deckhands from Indonesia have described deplorable and even deadly working conditions on foreign ships, including overwork, wage garnishment, debt bondage, and physical and sexual violence. Under these circumstances, many people are forced to shorten their labor contracts, which usually last around two years, and forfeit the deposits they would normally have to pay to get a job. Experts also point out that forced labor onboard fishing vessels is often closely linked to illegal fishing.

Messrs. Felicia and Alifsha said similar bilateral agreements are in place for Indonesian migrant fish workers and other major destinations in countries that have ratified STCW-F, such as France, Portugal, New Zealand, and Japan. asked to tie. Indonesia has a similar agreement with South Korea and is aiming to conclude similar agreements with Taiwan and China. The latter is by far the world’s largest fishing nation, accounting for almost as much deep-sea activity as the next four countries combined, and is often said to be the worst fishing fleet for migrant fishermen. .

“Improving the capacity of Indonesian fishermen and seafarers in accordance with STCW-F is important for occupational safety and protection of seafarers, both domestic and migrant workers on foreign-flagged fishing vessels. It will also improve the knowledge and skills of fishing crews in preventing and combating marine pollution,” Alifsha said.

“The various initiatives of MRA and cooperation in the implementation of STCW-F will also enhance the global competitiveness of Indonesian fishing crews,” he added.

Basten Gokkon I am Mongabay’s senior staff writer for Indonesia.find him at 𝕏 @bgokkon.

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