Fishermen and fishery workers in North Sulawesi are often exploited due to low wages and long working hours. As an effort to improve the protection and welfare of fishermen and fishery workers in North Sulawesi, DFW Indonesia collaborating with the Provincial Government of North Sulawesi to establish the Regional Forum for the Protection of Fishermen and Fishery Workers Forum (known as Forum Daerah Perlindungan Nelayan dan Pekerja Perikanan or Forda P3N). This forum was formed based on the Governor’s Decree signed on July 14, 2023, with Number 249 of 2023. The Forda P3N includes elements from local government, central government, labor unions, NGOs, businesses, universities, and the media. The decree outlines that Forda P3N consists of three working groups: Working Group I: Strengthening Regulations, Working Group II: Joint Surveillance, and Working Group III: Education and Campaign.
On December 16th, 2024, Forda P3N held a meeting to discuss their work programs to be implemented in 2025 and their achievements in 2024. The meeting was opened with a speech from Dr. Ir. Tineke Adam, M.Si, the Head of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service. During the meeting, it was also conveyed that in recent years of Forda P3N’s operation, several issues related to fishery workers have been found. Two of the main issues are: Many ship owners and workers have not made work contracts (PKL) and the challenge of certifying 121,000 fishermen due to limited education.
“Department of Marine and Fisheries Affairs is currently running a coral transplantation program in conjunction with the International Conference on Sustainable Coral Reefs event and has been working with DFW Indonesia since 2022 to form Forda P3N to support fishery workers and fishermen. We hope DFW Indonesia will continue to collaborate to address the issue of work contracts (known as Perjanjian Kerja Laut or PKL) that have not been implemented by many ship owners and workers, as well as the issue of fishermen’s certification that is hindered by low levels of education, while also encouraging more parties to collaborate in the future,” she said.
In addition, there are several issues regarding the protection of fisheries crew members (known as ABK) that need to be addressed together. These issues were presented by Martinus S. Rorong, A.Md., S.Pd, North Sulawesi Employment Service Intermediate Labor Inspector, and include: excessive working hours, low wages, lack of safety and security protection (K3), as well as discrimination and harassment. However, Forda P3N is considered effective in helping fulfill the rights of ABK. This was stated by the Head of the Bitung Ocean Fishing Harbor, Ady Chandra.
“By 2024, we have regularly mediated between ABK and ship owners when problems arise. Additionally, out of the 13,207 ABK registered at the Bitung Port Authority, 371 are certified ABK. We are also working with the police to detect any violations that may occur,” he said.
In this meeting, Forda P3N also discussed their work plans for 2025. Continuing the success in 2024, Forda P3N will also continue to carry out joint inspection activities especially on the fishing vessels boat in North Sulawesi.
Besides, Forda P3N also committed to implement their work plan such as outreach and education to fishermen and fisheries crew, facilitate maritime training and BST certification for 10,000 participants, as well as create synergy between regional and central governments to formulate gubernatorial regulations that suit regional needs in the future.
DFW Indonesia also stated their commitment to keep collaborating with North Sulawesi Province via Forda P3N to increase ABK protection especially in 2025.
“Forda P3N establishment was a big and concrete step to realising ABK protection, especially in North Sulawesi. We express our appreciation to Forda P3N that has been working the past year. We will always support the works that will be done by Forda P3N in the future.” said Imam Trihatmadja, Program Director of DFW Indonesia.
