ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) presented the key findings of a survey on decent work in the marine fishing sector in Jakarta on 11 March 2025.
The survey aimed to measure working conditions on marine fishing vessels, including key indicators of decent work such as recruitment patterns, employment status, employment agreements, earnings, working time, occupational safety and health (OSH), social security, freedom of association and the prevalence of child labour and forced labour.
Conducted over one year, from November 2023 to September 2024, the survey covered 3,396 fishers in 18 ports, representing four types of ports, namely Sea Fisheries Ports (PPS), Nusantara Shipping Port (PPN), Coastal Waters Ports (PPP) and Fish Landing Bases (PPI).
The survey was enriched by qualitative research including focus group discussions, key informant interviews and stakeholder consultation workshops. The survey focuses on labour-related issues for Indonesian fishers working onboard Indonesian fishing vessels.
The survey strengthens evidence of severe violations of workers’ rights, including forced labour and trafficking for forced labour. It supports the ILO’s mission to eliminate forced labour through its 8.7 Accelerator Lab Programme and aligns with the efforts of the Blue Fairness Initiative, an ILO’s partner.
The survey highlighted nine key findings related to fundamental principles and rights at work.
Recruitment and migration. Fishers’ recruitment processes fail to comply with national laws and international labour standards, particularly the ILO Convention, 2007 (No. 188) on Work in Fishing. This lack of adherence increases the risk of debt bondage, making fishers vulnerable to forced labour and human trafficking.
Employment contract. More than 90 per cent of fishers lack a written work contract. Limited literacy and understanding of contract-related issues leave most fishers unaware of their rights and obligations, making them more vulnerable to exploitation.
Working time. A non-negligible portion of fishers work excessive working hours. The irregular work-rest patterns in fishing make distinguishing between working hours and rest difficult, posing challenges in enforcing standardized labour regulations.
Methods of payment. Fishers are compensated through remuneration systems that enable employers to share the business risk with their employees while incentivizing productivity. Catch-sharing is used to pay two-thirds of fishers, and nearly all fishers employed on small vessels. Only 4.5 per cent of fishers in the 18 surveyed ports are compensated with regular wages or a combination of regular wages and alternative payment methods.
Social protection. 71 per cent of fishers are not enrolled in employment-related social security (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) and over half fishers lack access to health social security (BPJS Kesehatan).
Safety on board: Fishers encounter a range of occupational hazards. The survey most reported hazard conditions related to weather events, PPE and safety-related risks, risks associated with the technical conditions of the vessels, and lack of safety measures related to toilets. Other risk factors include extreme fatigue and interpersonal conflicts among fishers on the vessel.
Freedom of association and collective bargaining. The survey reveals a very low union membership rate among fishers, averaging 10 per cent. Currently, Indonesia does not have collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) to establish and regulate the terms of employment for fishers or specific groups of fishers.
Child labour. Child labour remains a significant concern in the sector. The survey found that approximately 0.7 per cent of interviewed fishers—equating to more than 600 children—were engaged in child labour in the 18 ports covered by the survey. Moreover, the findings suggest that nearly 47 per cent of all workers began working in marine fishing before the age of 18, indicating a potentially higher prevalence of child labour than what was captured through direct interviews.
Forced labour. About 1,000 fishers were found to be in forced labour in the 18 ports covered by the survey, corresponding to 1.5 per cent of the fisher employees. Fishing employees in forced labour had their passports and seaman books withheld, faced the risk of job loss, wage deductions, or physical violence for voicing complaints, and could not leave due to debts owed to vessel owners, captains, or agents.
These forms of coercion are used to compel fishers to work under conditions they did not agree to, including hazardous environments that make them fear for their safety and health, abusive working hours, and degrading working conditions. Fishers were sometimes recruited under false promises and reported that vessel owners or captains took advantage of them.
Based on these key findings, the survey highlighted ten priority actions for consideration by all relevant stakeholders to provide better protection for fishers in Indonesia’s marine fishing sector:
1. Aligning national laws with international labour standards, particularly regarding decent work in the marine fishing sector.
2. Enforcing fair recruitment standards as regulated in national laws and in alignment with international standards.
3. Addressing the high level of informality in the sector, promoting and mandating that all fishers have fishers’ work agreement.
4. Improving working skills and technology mastery for fishers.
5. Strengthen fishers’ literacy and awareness of social protection and simplify the registration process by reducing administrative barriers to make registration easier for workers, especially those working in the informal sector.
6. Enhancing and supervising the implementation of occupational safety and health (OSH) on board fishing vessels.
7. Increasing efforts to overcome structural barriers to unionization and to raise workers’ voices through trade unions and collective bargaining.
8. Undertaking urgent measures to advance fundamental principles and rights at work, including the elimination of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking.
9. Establish trade agreements to expand access to export markets, enabling businesses to provide more stable employment while promoting due diligence practices and alignment with decent work standards.
10. Strengthening data coordination across agencies to improve surveillance, support evidence-based policymaking and strengthen protections for fishing vessel workers.
Simrin Singh, ILO Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, said that reliable data, such as the results of this survey, are key in addressing forced labour in the fisheries sector and in designing efficient policies and interventions to ensure decent working conditions for fishing vessel workers.
“As a maritime nation, Indonesia considers the fisheries sector to be one of its key industries. This survey represents ILO’s support in establishing safe and decent working conditions that align with fundamental principles and rights at work. This not only enhances workers’ productivity and welfare but also offers protection against forced labour and trafficking at sea,” she stated, Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
Nawawi, the Head of the Population Research Centre, highlighted the significance of the survey results for guiding the Indonesian government in shaping policies aimed at promoting decent work within the marine capture fisheries sector.
“The findings of this survey offer exceptionally valuable and comprehensive data that can serve as a crucial reference for enhancing future governance and improving conditions for workers in the marine fishing sector.” (AT Network)
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