 Organising globally to fight exploitation in Fisheries and Aquaculture The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016.
Contributing to food security and nutrition for all International expert meeting on labour exploitation in the fishing sector in the Atlantic region IUF Home Page  Join our mailing list Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter | US unionists return to Phillips Seafood restaurants in solidarity with Indonesian workers 19-07-2017  The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) returned to leaflet customers of US Phillips Seafood restaurants in support of IUF members at the Phillips Seafood processing plant in Lampung, Indonesia where the union is fighting for permanent jobs for workers who have been employed up to 15 years without a permanent contract. [read more] New actions in campaign against precarious work at Phillips Seafood plant in Indonesia 19-06-2017  On June 10 and 12 workers at the Phillips Seafood plant held actions coinciding with US management's planned visit to the Lampung factory to highlight their demand for direct, permanent employment at the facility where many have worked up to 15 years without a permanent contract. [read more] Indonesia: Phillips Seafood workers continue fighting for permanent employment 31-05-2017  Members of the IUF-affiliated SBPSI representing workers at the Phillips
Seafood plant in Lampung, Indonesia, held a mass demonstration in front
of the factory on May 24, with support from the Lampung Workers' Union
Federation. The union continues to fight for permanent positions for
over 100 workers, mostly women, many of whom have worked at the facility
for up to 15 years without a permanent employment contract. [read more] Philippines unions call on seafood industry employers to change course 11-05-2017  Representatives of the Citra Mina Workers Union and their national center SENTRO have called on the seafood industry employers' association SFFAII to take stock of the potential consequences of growing international concern over the industry's ongoing failure to respect international standards. [read more] US union solidarity with Phillips Seafood workers in Indonesia 10-05-2017 The IUF-affiliated UFCW leafleted customers at Phillips Seafood's flagship Baltimore restaurant on a busy May 9 evening in solidarity with the union fight for permanent jobs at the company's crabmeat factory in Lampung, Indonesia, where workers with up to 15 years of service are still denied permanent employment contracts. [read more] Members of the SENTRO Citra Mina Workers Union in the Philippines joined an international trade union delegation for talks with the European Union's Directorate General for Trade in Brussels on April 24 on systematic abuses by Citra Mina and the need for firm EU action to ensure respect for international human rights standards throughout the Philippines' massive tuna industry. [read more]  Over 500 workers in the Moroccan city of Agadir have been on strike since March 2015 at DOHA, part of the wealthy BICHA Group. DOHA workers, nearly 95% of whom are women, produce tinned fish and other products for worldwide export. The company has been pressured to drop the punitive financial claims against the union leader it has been pressing since the strike began - now it's time to reinstate the dismissed workers. CLICK HERE to send a message to the company.[read more] Philippines and Papua New Guinea tuna workers unite to tackle rights abuses 20-04-2017 Tuna workers in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea are organizing joint campaigns to tackle systematic human rights abuses by the world's largest manufacturers of canned tuna. [read more] BMI seafood workers in Indonesia fighting for rights, recognition and permanent jobs 10-04-2017 The union of workers at the Bumi Menara Internusa (BMI) seafood factory
continues its fight against abusive casual contracts and for access to
social security for all workers. BMI is one of the main Indonesian
suppliers to the global seafood industry, supplying most internationally
known seafood brands. [read more] Indonesia: Union continues to demand permanent jobs for Phillips Seafood workers 16-03-2017  The IUF-affiliated SBPSI continues to fight for permanent, secure jobs
at the Lampung, Indonesia crabmeat factory of US-based Phillips Seafood.
Under the company's brutal precarious work regime, where workers are
hired and fired by text message, workers with as many as 15 years of
service are still denied permanent employment contracts.[read more] 
A labor strike in the Citra Mina Group of Companies (CMGC), the second largest company in the Philippines tuna industry, which started in General Santos City on November 13, 2013, remains unresolved to this day. The sacking of those workers, who demand union recognition, is just the tip of the iceberg in the long story of massive violations of workers' rights permeating the whole tuna industry.
[read more]  Union activists from around the country travelled to Agadir on December 31, 2016 to show their support for the more than 500 workers dismissed by the DOHA fish canning company following a strike and lockout in 2015 and to denounce the court-ordered seizure of the union leader's apartment. [read more] Campaign in support of DOHA company workers in Morocco continues 18-12-2016 Despite of the on-going mass actions of protest and critical reaction of the international community, the Court of Appeal rejected Mr Abdellah's appeal to lift the precautionary confiscation of his apartment and instead supported the ruling of the Court of the First Instance for charges to be brought against him for causing the company financial losses. [read more] UILAPESCA leads debate on fish workers' rights at the conference in memory of Gaetano Pensabene 18-12-2016 The debate has ranged from the specific Sicilian fishing problems to the issue of illegal fishing and the respect of labour rights of fishermen in the world. [read more] Serial rights offender Citra Mina responsible for yet another death 15-12-2016 Continued rights abuses by the Citra Mina Group, the Philippine's second-largest tuna exporter, have resulted in another worker death. CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO SERIAL RIGHTS ABUSER CITRA MINA! [read more] IUF European affiliates establish Seafood unions coordination group within EFFAT 19-10-2016 The founding meeting of EFFAT Seafood group was held in Brussels on November 15, 2016. [read more] Namibia seafood corporations wage a war against fish workers rights 17-10-2016 Refusal of the companies to negotiate have lead more than 4000 fishermen in the provinces of Walvis Bay and Luderitz to strike, protesting against 21-hour working shifts on the vessels, appalling living conditions and demanding recognition of the Metal, Mining, Maritime and Construction Workers' Union (MMMC), affiliated to the NANLO trade union center. [read more] Vigo dialogue on decent work in fisheries and aquaculture 05-10-2016 The third session of the FAO-sponsored Vigo dialogue which was held on October 4, 2016, brought together ILO sector department experts, fishing, processing and distribution companies - the seafood industry employers who participated in the Conxemar International Frozen Seafood Exhibition - and international trade union organizations (ITF, IUF, TUAC) to discuss the alarming human rights situation in the industry. [read more] Trapped at Sea: The fight against slavery in the fishing industry 01-10-2016 Along the way, FAO media team explore why trafficking and forced work remain so pervasive in the global fishing industry and what fishers stand to gain from a new collaboration between FAO and the International Labor Organization -- a partnership that joins the fight against human trafficking at sea with the fight against illegal fishing. [read more] Philippines tuna workers call upon industry to stop reckless, unsustainable fisheries 10-09-2016  The fight of the Citra Mina workers for reinstatement and recognition of their union became central in uniting workers of General Santos, the capital of the Philippines’ tuna industry, within the Tuna Workers" Solidarity initiative led by the trade union center SENTRO.[read more]  Members of the IUF Executive Committee supported the proposals of the sea food industry workers' unions to step up international organising efforts in the sector whose workers in the vast majority of the world's countries have no chance of creating unions and securing conditions that would facilitate their organisational development. [read more] Deceived by promises of a good job that will enable them to send money home, many workers are trapped at sea for months, even years, at a time and forced to work and live under dangerous, violent, and unthinkably atrocious conditions. [read more] In August 2016 the International Labour Organisation published the report of a tripartite meeting, convened on November 25-26, 2016, in Oslo to discuss ways to tackle labour exploitation in the fishing sector. The conference brought together experts from around the world - representatives of governments, employers' and workers' organisations, including experts on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and human trafficking. [read more] Significant progress at FAO COFI conference on illegal work and fishing 16-07-2016 UN FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) met in Rome on July 11-15, 2016. The IUF/ITF international trade union delegation intervened in the debate on the industry's sustainability, stressing the need for swift enforcement of the ILO Convention C 188 on work in fishing and the need to develop wider international labour and environmental standards for the entire global seafood value chain. [read more] FAO Report calls for the recognition of workers' right to organise 01-07-2016  2016 edition of the state of world fisheries and aquaculture report was issued by the UN's Food and agriculture organisation (FAO) in preparation for the bi-annual world-wide conference of the Committee on Fisheries. The report provides a comprehensive picture of the global seafood industry and covers specific issues which require attention of national governments and the United Nations.[read more] The National Guestworker Alliance (NGA) published a comprehensive report, highlighting the poor conditions faced by migrant workers employed by large US seafood corporations in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. The report describes massive use of forced labour, poor health and safety conditions, sexual harassment, and obstacles to forming or joining a union. [read more] Global unions call on EU for action to protect seafood industry workers 29-04-2016 Two global union federations representing millions of workers worldwide met with the European Union (EU) commission on fisheries this week to call for an expansion of legislation to protect fishers and workers employed in the production of seafood. The meeting coincided with the Brussels Seafood Expo Global, which brings together more than 2000 fish and aquaculture companies. [read more] International union action grows at Seafood Expo Global 28-04-2016  Unions took action at the annual Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium from April 26-28 to highlight the brutal practices which are widespread within the industry and to defend the rights of seafood industry workers. Seafood Expo Global is the largest international trading platform for fish and sea food. [read more] International solidarity organized through the IUF has secured comprehensive health insurance coverage for the union leaders and members unfairly dismissed by the Philippines tuna giant Citra Mina after they formed a union two-and-a-half years ago. [read more] US seafood industry: blind and deaf 15-03-2016 A whole number of corporations known to persecute their workers for their attempts to unionise came to Boston for the annual SeaFooodExpo on March 6-8, 2016 with the view of signing contracts to sell their produce on the North American market. [read more] Tuna workers organize to restrain reckless tuna companies in the Asia-Pacific 14-03-2016  Workers across the tuna industry are escalating the campaign to make sustainable jobs and respect for human rights an integral part of a sustainable fisheries industry. At the March 11 launch of Tuna Workers Solidarity in General Santos, the tuna capital of the Philippines, workers and their families condemned human rights violations, forced labour and trafficking, insecure employment in tuna factories and tuna companies' refusal to take responsibility for fishing vessel workers lost at sea or abandoned in other countries. Morocco: DOHA workers continue campaign to support Abdullah Rakhmoun, demand jobs and union rights 02-03-2016  Workers of the DOHA canned fish factory in Agadir, Morocco, continue with their regular actions demanding that their union leadership be cleared of all charges and the court order imposing an incongruously large fine on the union's president Abdullah Rakhmoun be reversed. They also demand reinstatement for dismissed activists and recognition of their union, which belongs to the national center CDT.[read more] Vicious union-busting at Moroccan fish canner DOHA 05-02-2016  Over 500 workers in the Moroccan city of Agadir have been on strike since March 2015 at DOHA, part of the wealthy BICHA Group. DOHA workers, nearly 95% of whom are women, produce tinned fish and other products for worldwide export. The company, with the help of compliant legal and political authorities, has sought to dissolve the union, dismiss its members, criminalize and punish the strikers and confiscate the union leaders' home. CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO DOHA![read more] International seafood workers meeting calls for mobilisation to eliminate abusive labour policies 01-01-2016
FSBL and IUF stop illegal union verification by Phillips Seafood 17-12-2015  US-based company Phillips Seafood has reacted to the international campaign calling for the reinstatement of unfairly terminated workers and union recognition by introducing a new product in their factory in Lampung, Indonesia: a management-manufactured union. CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO PHILLIPS SEAFOOD![read more] Two years after mass terminations, Citra Mina workers determined to struggle for their rights 16-11-2015  Two years ago the Citra Mina Group of Companies, among the largest tuna exporters in General Santos, the Philippines, terminated 234 workers for exercising their human right to form a trade union. In the 24 months since the unfair termination of union leaders and members, the campaign for "Worker Safe" tuna has seen the struggle for reinstatement become a struggle for the future of the tuna industry itself. [read more]
“Lampung Needs Sustainable Fisheries, Sustainable Jobs!” 03-11-2015 On October 30th, Federasi Serikat Buruh Lampung (FSBL) led 130 women workers of Phillips Seafood wearing “Worker Safe” bandana in a protest rally to show their disappointment to the one of the biggest seafood companies. [read more] Rescued Citra Mina fishing workers launch union-owned 'Worker Safe' training boats 10-08-2015
[read more] Global pressure on Citra Mina widens 09-06-2015 One of Japan's major seafood companies which imports tuna from General Santos, Philippines, has initiated an investigation into human rights violations by the Citra Mina Group, the Philippines' second-largest tuna exporter. This announcement comes as preparations advance for a visit by a trade delegation from the European Commission charged with looking into the country's compliance with the EU's GSP Plus trade program following international union action earlier this year. [read more] Phillips Seafood - 'sustainable' fisheries, disposable jobs 29-05-2015  Phillips Seafood Restaurants is one of the oldest and largest seafood restaurant chains in the United States. The associated Phillips Foods, the world's largest processor of crabmeat which also produces a full line of fish products, relies on 17 overseas plants, because US stocks are exhausted due to overfishing and pollution. So the company claims to be promoting sustainable fisheries. In fact it relies on disposable jobs - but Indonesian workers are fighting back and winning support for their struggle. [read more] Citra Mina workers defend their picket line! 26-05-2015
A new "Worker Safe" label for exported tuna is one the new ideas emerging from a Sustainable Fishing Industry - Sustainable Jobs roundtable held in the tuna capital of the Philippines on April 30, 2015. [read more] Over two thousand people went out on the streets of General Santos of May 1st to support the demands for the human rights for Citra Mina workers. Led by the trade union center SENTRO, demonstrators demanded improvements in the working and living conditions of the tuna workers [read more] Union protest against casual employment and mass dismissal at Phillips Seafood plant in Indonesia 06-05-2015 Workers from the Phillips Seafood plant, Lampung, Indonesia are fighting back after 171 workers were brutally sacked between April 27-29. [read more]
Union action at Belgian Seafood Expo raises pressure on Citra Mina 25-04-2015  The IUF, International Transport Workers' Federation and Belgian unions CSC Alimentation et Services, FGTB Horval, and CSC Transcom raised the growing pressure on the Citra Mina Group at the Brussels Seafood Expo - the world's largest seafood trade fair -by demonstrating on April 23 outside the venue, where Citra Mina's Philfresh Corporation was one of the companies exhibiting and seeking contracts with buyers. [read more] World trade unions hold tuna company Citra Mina to account at Brussels SeaFoodExpo 23-04-2015 On April 22, Global union federations the IUF and ITF, assisted by Belgian trade unions, used the Brussels Seafood Expo to spotlight human rights abuses by Philippines' tuna giant Citra Mina. [read more] Indonesian seafood workers demand respect and union rights at Bumi Menara Internusa 05-04-2015 On April 1 workers at Bumi Menara Internusa (BMI), one of Indonesia's largest fish processing companies picketed the factory gates in Lampung protesting intimidation, dismissals and abusive precarious employment. [read more] Philippines Congress shines spotlight on tuna giant Citra Mina's brutal abuses 19-03-2015  The first in a series of Congressional hearings into abuses and illegal practices by Philippines tuna producer Citra Mina got under way on March 18 in the Philippines' House of Representatives, marking an important milestone in the long fight for justice for Citra Mina workers.[read more] [More] |
Almost every day, the media expose new facts about slavery and other unacceptable labour practices in the seafood sector. Thousands of workers are engaged in their daily fight for a change, calling for help, and this call can no longer be ignored. Urgent measures must be taken by the employers, governments and relevant UN structures to rectify the situation, reduce criminality, and create opportunities for the workers to implement their fundamental right to improve their own working and living conditions. 
Phillips Seafood, a US company with a chain of seafood restaurants on the East Coast which also has outlets in airports and casinos and markets processed seafood products, relies on brutal exploitation and disposable jobs for their Indonesian crabmeat. Most of the production workers at the Phillips Seafood crabmeat factory in Lampung, Indonesia are women; 60 percent of these workers have no permanent jobs. They're on permanent standby, and never know when or if they will be called to work by text message. 
Five months after internationally coordinated action by IUF and SENTRO secured the release and repatriation of 43 fishing crew detained in Indonesia and 
With strong support from members and the community, Citra Mina workers in General Santos, Philippines have beaten back company pressure to end their factory picket. On April 22, the Mayor's office issued an order for the union to cease picketing or face forcible removal. Over the next three days, union members and supporters mobilized continuously to show their support for the striking workers and their struggle. The Mayor's office then rescinded its order - and apologized for its "error".
The Citra Mina Workers Union and their national centre SENTRO commemorated Workers Memorial Day with the families of fishing vessel workers declared lost at sea. Over the past two years, at least 17 workers on vessels fishing for the Citra Mina Group are known to be missing or dead and the union continues to investigate other cases.