Fishery Workers Get Ignored in COVID Relief in Southeast Asia: ILO

 

Migrant fishing workers in Southeast Asia have been ignored from government support programs developed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, worsening their suffering during the crisis, according to the United Nations labor agency.

 As per a survey conducted by the International Labor Organization, governments have ignored migrant workers in the fisheries and seafood process industries.

The situation is like treating them as "out of vision, out of focus" with rules that limit their movement and provide minimal control of working conditions.

 The situation, according to the ILO, highlights the need for enhanced openness in commercial practices and improved data analysis to assure workmen do not fall into regulatory blind spots during & after the epidemic, which was released in collaboration with Cornell University.

 "The COVID-19 pandemic impacted Southeast Asia hard, especially migrant workers," said Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, Deputy Director and Regional Director for Asia Pacific at the International Labor Organization.

 In Southeast Asia's fishing industry, the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on jobs, wages, and livelihoods.

 If ILO data is correct about Thailand as well as the Philippines, the average hours worked by each employee in 2020 will be 15.4 percent and 9.1 percent less than in 2019.

 "It has taken an even greater toll on society's most vulnerable groups, as the report plainly demonstrates," Busini added.

"The recovery from COVID-19 provides us with an excellent opportunity to incorporate sustainable development principles into public policy and our daily lives."