Province of Central Java to establish a Joint Inspection Team for Labour Norms in fisheries sector
The Joint Inspection Team will enhance the fishing industry and provide the better protection for workers in the fishing sector, particularly those who work on board fishing vessels.
The fishing sector is one of the most important sectors for Indonesia. The Province of Central Java is a coastal, fishing area and the largest province of origin for Indonesian fishers in both Indonesian and foreign fishing vessels.
In line with the main priority of the Indonesian government to strengthen the fishing industry and to improve working condition in the fishing sector, the Provincial Government of Central Java, with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) through its Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia programme, is conducting a coordination meeting between the Provincial Marine Affairs and Fisheries Office and the Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office on Monday 29 May in Semarang, Central Java.
The coordination Meeting also marks the establishment of the Joint Inspection Team for Labour Norms onboard Fishing Vessels through the Decree of the Regional Secretary of Central Java Province Number 523/012 of 2023. Referring to the Decree, the Joint Inspection Team has a mandate to inspect labour conditions onboard fishing vessels at fishing ports within the jurisdiction of the Central Java Province. The Joint Inspection Team consists of structural and functional Officials from the Provincial Marine Affairs and Fisheries Office and the Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office, including labour inspectors from both provincial and regency/city levels at which fishing ports under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Marine Affairs and Fisheries Office in Central Java are located.
Sumarno, the Regional Secretary of Central Java Province, emphasized that the Joint Inspection Team is the example of concrete effort of the Provincial Government of Central Java to enhance the fishing industry and provide the protection for workers in the fishing sector, particularly those who work in fishing vessels. He also underscored that the team shows form of synergy amongst relevant government offices in conducting a labour inspection and providing services to ensure decent working conditions in the fishing sector.
“The establishment of the Joint Inspection Team is also in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the Minister of Manpower on 30 September 2022. The MoU aims to strengthen collaborations on labour inspection in fishing sector,” said Sumarno.
The Joint Inspection Team for Labour Norms is established based on a series of focus group discussions (FGD) with technical assistance provided by ILO’s Ship to Shore South East Asia programme. Relevant partners in Central Java Province, such as the Provincial Marine Affairs and Fisheries Office, the Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office, Heads of Fishing Ports, fishing and labour inspectors at the provincial and regency/city levels as well as representatives of the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries joined the FGDs.
Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia, greatly welcomes the formation of the Joint Inspection Team in Central Java Province. “The establishment of the Joint Inspection Team is the realization of the ILO’s Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) which is ratified by Indonesia. This is also in line with the global effort to strengthen the protection of workers in fishing sector as regulated by the ILO’s Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188). Our hope is that this Joint Inspection Team will further develop effective collaboration in achieving decent work for all in Indonesia, including in the fishing sector,” said Michiko.
Meanwhile the Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office of Central Java has a total of 148 labour inspectors for the overall area of Central Java, consisting of 53 female and 95 male labour inspectors. The Joint Inspection Team for Labour Norms at Fisheries Vessels will contribute to better protection of workers and to support the industry growth of the fishing industry in Central Java Province.
The Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia (SEA) is a multi-country, multi-annual initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and aimed to promote regular and safe labour migration and decent work for all migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors in South-East Asia.
For further information, please contact:
Albert BonasahatNational Coordinator of ILO’s Ship to Shore Rights Southeast Asia
Email: bonasahat@ilo.org
Gita Lingga
ILO’s Communications Officer
Email: gita@ilo.org