It’s a rare day that good news comes out about Myanmar’s hundreds of thousands of overseas workers.
Migrant rights groups say that hundreds of workers employed by leading seafood giant Thai Union have benefitted from a new approach to recruitment that cuts down on extortionate fees employees pay for their jobs.
Thai Union, a leading global supplier of frozen seafood, employs some 46,500 workers, including many from Myanmar.
Up until a few months ago employees were forced to shell out as much as $1,000 for their jobs via an opaque network of agents and brokers that sort out paperwork for a price.
Many were forced to borrow money to cover the costs, racking up huge debts.
“When the workers are coming into work at Thai Union, there can be real issues with debt bondage,” Andy Hall from the Migrant Workers Rights Network said ahead of a press conference in Yangon on Saturday.
Thai Union partnered with the NGO earlier this year to enforce a ‘zero recruitment fee’ policy, whereby the firm covers most of the employment costs. Some 1,000 workers have been through the process already, according to Hall.
While they are still responsible for fees including visa applications, medical checkups and work permit fees, the total cost has fallen to an average of around $150, he said.
MWRN is working to encourage other employers to follow suit. The seafood industry in particular has been accused of serious labor abuses, including slavery and trafficking.
“It isn’t good to be working with just one company,” said Hall. “We’ve been pressuring the seafood industry, the chicken industry. Thai Union was the only company willing to work with us.”
Thailand has seen protests over the issue, with workers calling for their fees to be covered, he said.
“We have seen a knock-on effect whereby this policy has impacted on companies.”
