Thai Union Group pays worker fees to end debt bondage

 

One of Thailand’s leading seafood companies has taken a major step in support of the national goal of ending human trafficking and labor abuse as Thai Union Group, the world’s largest canned tuna company, announced last week it would eliminate recruitment fees for all workers seeking jobs with the company.

The implementation of a “zero recruitment fees” policy will take effect immediately and cover all future employees no matter where they were recruited. The company said it would pay the fees for the workers.

“That’s something that Thai Union sees as essential to make sure that workers aren’t in debt bondage before they start work,”said Darian McBain, Thai Union’s global director of sustainable development.

“We’ll cover the costs of all the agency fees, so that people aren’t burdened with the debt that they can sometimes build up on the way to coming to employment in Thailand,” she said.

Labor activists praised the move, saying more private sector firms should follow suit.  Andy Hall of the Migrant Workers Rights Network said that workers are shouldering 100 percent of the recruitment fees and that is unfair.

“It’s the main issue leading to human trafficking, debt bondage and slavery these days,” Hall told Reuters news agency. “Thai Union has realized that it’s their responsibility to ensure that their recruitment supply chain – to get the workers into the factory – is clean.”

The Thai government is drafting a new law to regulate employment agencies within the Kingdom, and is consulting with the International Labor Organization to ensure it will conform to international standards.

For more information and updates about Thailand’s policies and actions against trafficking in persons and related issues, visit www.thaianti-humantraffickingaction.org

Photo: www.bangkokpost.com