Agency touts law on migrant fishermen

ABOUT TIME:The new law would increase the protection of migrant fishery workers after weeding out ‘unreasonable’ clauses from their work contracts, the Fisheries Agency said

Staff Writer, with CNA

The rights of migrants working in the nation’s fishery industry will be better protected after the Act Governing Distant Water Fisheries (遠洋漁業條例) comes into effect on Jan. 20, the Fisheries Agency said.

According to the new law, the agency is authorized to establish rules managing local brokers and map out measures to protect the welfare and rights of migrant fishery workers hired to work on Taiwanese fishing boats, the agency said.

The agency was responding to media reports on the death of an Indonesian fishery worker aboard a Taiwanese fishing boat, the Futzuchun, in August last year.

Supriyanto, in his 40s, died of septicemia from infected wounds, because he was not provided with timely treatment after being assaulted aboard the vessel about a month earlier, according to a Control Yuan report issued in October last year.

Supriyanto was hired via illegal labor brokers in Taiwan and Indonesia, according to local media.

Taiwanese authorities do not have jurisdiction over agreements signed between Indonesian brokers and fishery workers, the agency said.

One of the provisions of the act requires local brokers to submit contracts with foreign brokers and contracts between foreign brokers and foreign workers to be hired by Taiwanese employers to Taiwanese authorities.

The new law is expected to substantially increase the protection afforded migrant fishery workers after weeding out “unreasonable” clauses in such contracts, the agency said.

At the urging of the Control Yuan, the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office has reopened the investigation into Supriyanto’s death.

The Control Yuan also censured Fisheries Agency, saying that its regulations and oversight of employment agencies and employers of fishery workers, such as Supriyanto, were inadequate.

The agency was negligent and tardy in investigating Supriyanto’s death and compensating his family, the Control Yuan said.

Meanwhile, the agency said that the nation’s deep-sea fishing vessels caught fishing illegally would face a maximum fine of NT$30 million (US$937,354) after the act comes into force.

According to the law, vessels of more than 500 tonnes can be fined between NT$6 million and NT$30 million, while those between 100 tonnes and 500 tonnes can be fined between NT$4 million and NT$20 million.

Ships between 50 tonnes and 100 tonnes can be fined between NT$2 million and NT$10 million, while those under 50 tonnes can be fined between NT$1 million and NT$5 million.

Repeat offenders would face fines of up to NT$45 million.

In addition to the fines, the operators and fishermen can have their licenses recalled or revoked.

Agency Deputy Director-General Huang Hung-yan (黃鴻燕) said that the statute was enacted as part of a government effort to remove Taiwan from an EU fishery watch list.

In October last year, the European Commission gave Taiwan a “yellow card” and warned that the nation risks being identified as uncooperative in the fight against “illegal, unreported and unregulated” fishing.