The Royal Thai Government is ready to welcome more migrant workers into the fisheries sector in order to alleviate the labour shortages which require around 53,000 additional workers. The Ministry of Labour has come up with 3 measures for the recruitment of additional migrant workers for the fisheries sector. Firstly, migrant workers permitted to work in Thailand by the Article 83 of the Royal Ordinance on Fisheries B.E. 2558 (2015), whose work permits will expire on 30 September 2018 and whose nationalities have been verified, will be entitled to a work permit extension for two more years until 30 September 2020. The One-Stop-Service Center will be set up in 22 coastal provinces to undertake the registration process. Secondly, migrant workers holding valid documents such as passports or temporary passports will be allowed to register under the Article 83 process by 15 November 2018. Thirdly, the State-to-State Memorandum of Understanding will be implemented. At this stage, the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar has agreed to recruit 42,000 Myanmar workers into the sector by November 2018.

 

The above-mentioned measures aim to mobilise the Thai fishing industry as well as to encourage entrepreneurs in the fisheries sector to hire migrant workers through the legal channels established by the Government. These workers will then be protected under the Royal Ordinance on the Management of Foreign Workers Employment B.E. 2560 (2017) and its amendments. This will enable Thailand to recruit ten times more workers than before through MOU.

 

In addition, the Royal Thai Government has improved several labour regulations to enable more effective protection of migrant workers such as the Ministerial Regulation on Labour Protection in Sea Fishing Work and the Regulation on Labour Inspection and Criminal Proceedings according to the said Ministerial Regulation. Measures have also been taken to collect workers’ identities via facial and iris scanning, organising training on labour rights, expanding complaint-lodging channels, and establishing migrant workers assistance centres. Additionally, the inspection of labour in the fisheries sector has been strengthened by the development of inspection manuals and more training of labour inspectors to practice the same standard. This is to ensure that workers in the fisheries sector, both Thai and foreign, will not be taken advantage of, and will truly play a valuable part in promoting the sustainable fisheries industry.