This platform is a clear message : fishers deserve protection, dignity, and a real voice and their rights

Indonesian fishers  launched a new Fishers’ Rights Network (FRN) Policy Platform, issuing a direct challenge to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian House of Representatives to take immediate, concrete action to deliver justice, protection, and decent livelihoods across Indonesia’s fisheries sector.

The platform was officially launched at a public policy dialogue in Jakarta, bringing together fishers, trade unions, and representatives of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP). The event was organised by Indonesian fishers’ unions Serikat Pekerja Perikanan Indonesia (SPPI) and Kesatuan Pelaut Indonesia (KPI), with support from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

The Policy Platform 

The Policy Platform calls for urgent action to address persistent exploitation, unsafe working conditions, weak enforcement of labour protections, and barriers to justice faced by fishing vessel crew members. It makes clear that all fishers – regardless of location, flag, or employment status – are entitled to a safe and healthy workplace, full legal protection, fair wages, and the right to organise and bargain collectively.

The FRN Policy Platform

The FRN Policy Platform was endorsed by fishers’ unions at the ITF Fishers’ Rights Network Policy and Advocacy Symposium in Bali in December 2025, and represents a unified position from fishers’ organisations across Indonesia demanding accountability from government, employers, and supply-chain actors.

The platform makes three clear demands:

1. That the Indonesian Government takes concrete, enforceable steps to realise justice, protection, and a decent livelihood for all fishers, including fishing vessel crew members.
2. That employers are held fully responsible for guaranteeing and fulfilling fishers’ rights, including safety, contracts, wages, and social protection.
3. That community leaders, religious leaders, seafaring communities, and the wider public actively support and demand strong policies to protect fishers and hold decision-makers to account.

Occupational safety and health protections for all fishers;

The platform further calls for full occupational safety and health protections for all fishers; the guaranteed right to organise, unionise, and enter into collective bargaining agreements; and the ratification, effective implementation, and enforcement of ILO Convention 188. It also calls for mandatory pre-departure training for all fishers, full access to justice, legal assistance, and effective remedies, and the serious enforcement of existing laws – backed by regular monitoring and the active involvement of unions and civil society to end impunity in the fisheries sector.

Fishers are essential to Indonesia’s economy,

Speaking at the launch, Ilyas Pangestu of SPPI said the policy platform is not just a statement of principles, but a call for concrete action.“Fishers are essential to Indonesia’s economy, yet many still work without contracts, without safety guarantees, and without access to justice,” Pangestu said. 

The lived reality of fishers across Indonesia.

Dewa Budiasa, General Secretary of KPI, said the platform reflects the lived reality of fishers across Indonesia.“For too long, fishers have paid the price for weak enforcement, unsafe vessels, and a system that treats them as disposable labour,” Budiasa said. “This platform is a clear message to government and employers: fishers deserve protection, dignity, and a real voice – and we will continue to organise until these rights are delivered.”

”Implement the fishers' demands 

The unions called on the Government of Indonesia, employers, and supply-chain actors to engage directly with fishers and their unions to implement the platform’s demands and ensure meaningful protection for all fishing vessel crew members, regardless of location or employment status.

 Ministerial Decision 151

On the other hand KPI further criticized the Ministry of Manpower for issuing Ministerial Decision 151 which called for a blanket stoppage on placement of Indonesian workers abroad. “The decision should to be re-evaluated as it was not well coordinated with other ministries and does not recognize the position of seafarers as key workers,” added Budiasa. “Seafarers should of course be exempt from the travel and work restrictions. This is in line with the guidelines issued by every single international body which Indonesia is a member of including IMO, ILO, and the UN.”

The Indonesian Seafarers Union (KPI), ITF, and Indonesia’s National Coordinating Committee of Indonesian Transport Unions are calling on the Indonesian government and other governments around the world to formally designate seafarers as “key workers” and an establishment and implementation of emergency crew change procedures by July 1, 2020.

Related : Raul Villa Caro writes :Conference for the Fisheries Sector in Celeiro

#Indonesian Seafarers Union #ITF #Dewa Budiasa #Indonesian fishers Fishers’ Rights Network#Ilyas Pangestu