Thai Union Fully Supports New Legislation on Fisheries

Bangkok, Thailand, Thai Union applauds the recent legislation issued by the Royal Thai Government on fisheries and encourages ongoing enforcement of the law and continuous improvement throughout the industry.

Royal Ordinance on Fisheries B.E. 2558 (2015) sets to: establish good governance in the management of the fisheries sector; combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; ensure effective monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities; strengthen traceability; eliminate forced labor and improve welfare and working conditions; reinforce deterrent and criminal sanctions and put into place measures that allow for the identification of anyone involved in the act of human trafficking, prosecution and the delivery of justice.

Thiraphong Chansiri, President and CEO of Thai Union commented on the new legislation and stated, “Ensuring our industry operates with integrity and respect for natural resources and human rights requires the collaboration of all parties, the government, industry, NGOs and supply chain stakeholders. The new legislation is an important step towards consolidating a full traceability system within the Thai seafood industry from vessel to processing facilities. This includes the inspection of the whole supply chain as well as creating a level playing field for all operators and eliminating those who do not abide by the law, respect human rights or who operate in an unethical manner.”

Thai Union strives to ensure that all its operations in Thailand abide by local and international laws. Additionally, the company is a member of the United Nation’s Global Compact (UNGC) and the Good Labour Practices (GLP) program with the International Labour Organization (ILO). The company has worked with the ILO’s GLP program for more than two years to set standards throughout its operations to ensure no child or forced labor is used and that its workers can practice freedom of association, will not be discriminated against, can work in safe conditions, health will be cared for while at work, and workers have the correct legal documentation and contracts. These standards cover Thai Union’s entire supply chain, including fishing vessels, farms, pre-processors and processing facilities.

Additionally, the company has implemented numerous initiatives to ensure workers are protected over the past few year. This includes:

•  A new, more stringent Business Ethics and Labor Code of Conduct throughout our supply chain to ensure even higher levels of transparency and accountability from our suppliers.
•  Thai Union is a member of the Shrimp Sustainable Supply Chain Task Force, an international industry alliance including leading retailers, manufacturers, government and NGOs with the goal of ensuring Thailand’s supply chain is free from forced labor through accountability, verification and transparency.
• Thai Union will have conducted internal audits for 100 percent of its Thai seafood supply chain by the end of 2015. UL, an independent auditor, will begin conducting third-party audits of the supply chain in 2016.
• Thai Union began a formal training program for Thai fishing boats and brokers for all Thai raw materials. By the end of 2015, trainings for all the Thai fishing boats in our supply chain and for brokers of all the Thai raw materials sourced by the company will be completed.
• Thai Union is transitioning to ensure all pre-processing is conducted within our operations and to our own high standards. Thai Union will no longer use external suppliers for this work beyond April 2016.
• Thai Union is working in collaboration with the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) on training programs for foreign workers’ to ensure they know and understand their rights under Thai law. All Thai Union employees country-wide will undergo the training by mid of 2016.
• Thai Union is working with the Labour Rights Protection Network (LPN) and recently started an initiative to deliver counseling, medical assistance, temporary food and shelter, and in some cases, employment for Thai nationals who have been rescued from human traffickers.
• Thai Union is also running an education rights workshop for its internal employees to ensure they are encouraged to enroll their children in school.

“Moving forward, we will remain steadfast not only in our commitment to demonstrate high ethical and sustainability standards, but also to work with governments, business partners, suppliers and the industry to eradicate labor abuses and move the industry forward. We encourage strict enforcement of the law, sanctions, and commitment by the industry to do the right thing. For us, this means operating with a high level of accountability and transparency.” Mr. Chansiri concluded.

The ordinance includes specific sanctions and enforcement guidelines to address IUU fishing and eliminate unlawful labor practices in the fisheries sector. The sanctions include the suspension of a vessel’s fishing license or permit for up to 90 days if the licensee or permit holder does not comply with the Royal Ordinance and related laws. If the licensee or permit holder re-commits a violation, the license or permit will be revoked. The new legislation also introduces fines for those who fail to comply with these regulations, including:

• Fines of up to 30 million baht (approximately $830,000) or five times the value of the obtained catch, whichever case is higher, for criminal sanctions. If a serious infringement is re-committed within a five-year period, the penalty will be doubled.
• The owner of any fishing vessel making use of a seaman without a valid work license or permit is subject to a fine up to 800,000 baht (approximately $22,000) per seaman. Additionally, the owner’s fishing license and the seaman document of the master vessel will be revoked.
• Fines up to 800,000 baht per person for factory owners who unlawfully employ workers, including foreign workers, who do not hold legal work permits. If one to five workers are found to be unlawfully employed, the factory operation will be ordered to suspend for 10 to 30 days. If more than five workers are employed illegally, the factory will be ordered to close. A factory owner who violates the labor protection law or employs illegal foreign workers is also liable to criminal penalties, including up to two years in prison or a fine of 200,000 to 2,000,000 baht (approximately $5,500 to $55,000), or both, as well as a daily fine of 100,000 to 500,000 baht (approximately $2,700 to $13,800) for the entire duration of the violation.

More information about Thai Union’s work is available on its website: http://www.thaiunion.com/en/sustain/sustainability-commitment/sustainability-philosophy.ashx.