EU debates harsh working conditions for fishers: 'I had no other choice'

Fredi Seprizal, an Indonesian man, recounted his harrowing experience as a fisherman on a Chinese vessel during a European Parliament debate focused on improving working conditions in the fishing industry. Seprizal described being forced to work 16 to 20 hours a day, with rest periods as short as three to six hours, and sometimes even 24 hours straight.

He also faced lack of adequate safety equipment and feared for his life at sea. The debate was organized by Carmen Crespo and Virginia Battu-Henriksson to address the social dimension of sustainable fisheries. Survivors of labor exploitation, international organizations, trade union representatives, and members of the fisheries sector gathered to advocate for stronger guarantees in the industry.

The European fleet must maintain its requirements on sustainability, safety, and labor rights, said Crespo. The research by professor Sallie Yea found that 94% of interviewed fishers had suffered non-payment of wages, and all had witnessed changes to less favorable contracts. One in four fishers had seen a fellow crew member's death, and one in four vessels analyzed had recorded deaths.

The meeting called for effective protection of labor rights, including checks on contracts and wages, arbitration mechanisms, and accountability for recruitment agencies. The International Labour Organization, European Transport Workers Federation, Environmental Justice Foundation, and Oxfam advocated for stricter enforcement of labor standards.

The EU has a regulation on forced labor, but only 27 member states have ratified the Work in Fishing Convention. OPAGAC proposed making access to the European market conditional on compliance with the same standards applied to the European fleet.