Dear John,

Six years ago, international media exposed widespread forced labor, human trafficking, and other egregious abuses in the Thai seafood industry. The initiatives put into place since then have not been sufficient, and forced labor continues year after year.

Please sign our petition to the Thai government.

A migrant fisher from Myanmar told us: “Migrant workers – fishers and also those on shore – face a lot of problems. There are many laws that support the boat owners and employers, rather than the workers. Something needs to be done.” He is a member of the Fishers’ Rights Network, which is organizing in the sector, and one of the groups featured in ILRF's new publication.

Released today, Time for a Sea Change, calls on the Thai government, seafood companies, and global buyers to guarantee the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining for migrant workers in order to end pervasive forced labor in the Thai seafood industry.

The report lays out how restrictions on migrant workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining prevent them from addressing forced labor and other labor rights abuses themselves. As more companies have adopted "employer pays" policies in an effort to address the burden of recruitment fees on migrant workers, this report shows how such policies are doomed to fail when workers lack the right to organize or seek the protection of trade union representation. Workers’ lack of access to complaint mechanisms means they are not able to signal when they have been wronged.

Time for a Sea Change features five case studies where, despite the restrictions and challenges they face, migrant fishers and seafood processors have made bold efforts to form their own representative organizations and negotiate with employers to improve working conditions.

Please sign our petition calling on the Thai government to reform national laws to allow migrant workers the right to form and lead their own unions.

In solidarity,

Kimberly Rogovin
Senior Seafood Campaign Coordinator

We hope you are staying healthy amidst the rapidly changing environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's our co-authored statement on steps apparel brands should take. For a compilation of labor responses, we recommend Labour Start.
 

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