RI seamen victims of abuse: ITF

RI seamen victims of abuse: ITF

JAKARTA: An international labor activist urged the Indonesian
authorities to closely monitor fishing ships operating in the
Indonesian waters amid alleged human rights abuse against
Indonesian seamen.

Shigeru Wada of the International Transport Workers Federation
(ITF) said in a seminar here on Thursday that the organization
had recorded a number of cases of human rights abuses on board
local and foreign ships employing Indonesian seamen.

"Several seamen were drowned at sea after clashing with fellow
workers over the last few years. This is a serious issue. In
addition, workers are required to work for more than 18 hours a
day and are underpaid, despite ILO conventions on core labor
standards," he said.

The seminar which was also attended by fishing ship owners and
captains, was held to seek legal and insurance protection for
seamen.

Petersand Mortensen of ITF headquarters in London said ITF and
the Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI) would start
disseminating information on ILO conventions and relevant laws
among ship owners and captains to help provide protection for
Indonesian seamen. -- JP