The Sustainable Seafood Alliance Indonesia, co-authored and launches a Bahasa report titled “Supermarket Responsibilities for Supply Chain Worker’s Rights: Continuing Challenges in Seafood Supply Chains and the Case for Stronger Supermarket Action”, advocating improved protection and welfare for the workers who produce our delicious seafood, working on fishing boats, shrimp farms, or processing factories across Indonesia.
Seafood Alliance Indonesia in collaboration with Oxfam International for Indonesia research and analysis found that there are a few severe human rights violations such underpaid work, unsafe working conditions, basic labor rights, and discrimination of women. This study was conducted in two shrimp processing plants and two shrimp aquacultures across Indonesia.
Women workers in shrimp processing industry are the most vulnerable actors regarding employment issues. Former workers reported to the Alliance that, company would terminate women workers if they got pregnant. The same study also revealed that women in this business sector are forced to get used to unsanitary workplace when it comes to their menstruation period, they had no choice of bringing extra sanitary pad to the plant.
As it was mentioned by Josephine Satyono, IGCN Executive Director in the launch occasion, that she agreed that the case should be resolved but she also emphasized that despite the fact on above mentioned findings, we must ensure that not all business actors in the sector treat workers in the similar situation. Through this opportunity, Josephine addressed that all business running under the 10 Principles of UN Global Compact must pledge and commit to sustain the human rights according to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as an effort in implementing the United Nations ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework.
