UN raps gov't over foreign sailor abuses
By Kim Young-jin
Mutuma Ruteere U.N. special rapporteur
The Korean government has failed to adequately monitor its fishing industry and address human rights abuses and racism against foreign sailors, a U.N. specialist said Monday.
Mutuma Ruteere, the U.N. special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, said in Seoul that sailors on Korean vessels routinely face discrimination, and
while at sea.
But the Korean government carries out “no adequate inspections” of their working conditions, he said.
Ruteere looked into the fishing industry as part of a weeklong fact-finding mission on racism and discrimination in Korea.
“These fishermen are often subjected to racist and xenophobic verbal and physical abuse by ship owners and captains, as well as by fellow Korean fisherman,” Ruteere said during a press conference.
Foreign sailors, particularly those from Indonesia, have long complained of brutal conditions on Korean vessels, including underpayment, dangerous conditions and abuse.
Ruteere, who met with sailors during his visit, said foreign workers are paid less than their Korean coworkers while being assigned the most difficult tasks. Moreover, they are not entitled to a share of the catch, a benefit provided to Korean fishermen, he noted.
The fishermen “are not regulated by the Labor Standards Acts nor are they under rules of the Employment Permit System,” he said. “The fact that they are at high seas for periods up to one month, makes it very difficult for them to report abuse.”
The rapporteur was told by officials of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) that the government is taking action to address “problems within the industry.” But he reiterated, “There are serious problems regarding the fishing industry that still need to be addressed.”
An Indonesian diplomat, who requested not to be named, said the labor abuses were “a fact.”
An MOF official conceded that inspections have been infrequent, but said the ministry has come up with a set of measures to protect the sailors, including unannounced inspections of vessels.
However, he said the plan has been delayed because the MOF has been dealing with a government audit over April’s Sewol ferry sinking.
In 2012, following reports of abuse on Korean-flagged vessels fishing off of New Zealand, the Korean government investigated Korean fishing companies and ordered them to settle outstanding wages.
However, some 200 Indonesian sailors are currently taking two Korean companies Dong Won Fisheries and Dong Nam to court in New Zealand, claiming some $14 million in back pay.
The sailors allege they were paid as little as $600 a month despite working an average of 12 hours a day; a rate far below the New Zealand minimum wage. During peak season, they claim they were compelled to work 20-hour shifts.
When The Korea Times reported the court cases in August, a ministry official was not aware of the proceedings and referred to the alleged abuses as a problem of the past. However, the official said the government had established a hotline for foreign crew to address labor abuse issues.
The issue first made headlines in 2011 when 32 Indonesian crewmembers walked off the Sajo Oyang 75, alleging forced labor, unpaid wages and physical and sexual abuse.
Ruteere recommended that Korea strengthen its monitoring by making sure access to the boats is provided to “various agencies and also independent organizations such as the National Human Rights Commission.”