As Effort of Improving Service Quality of Employment Agents, Taiwan Fisheries Agency Completed Review of Employment Agents for 2021
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- 2021-10-04
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As Effort of Improving Service Quality of Employment Agents, Taiwan Fisheries Agency Completed Review of Employment Agents for 2021
To protect the rights and benefits of foreign crew working onboard Taiwanese distant water fishing vessels, Taiwan Fisheries Agency (TFA) had completed the annual review of employment agents on September 27th. 54 employment agents were evaluated, with 20 being ranked as A, 28 as B, three as C, and three as D. Based on the review, the three D-rank employment agents will be prohibited from employing any foreign crew member for the period of one year, whereas the C-rank agents, if failed to secure B or above rankings next year, will receive a one-year suspension. The 2021 review is now publicly available on the website of the TFA.
Service quality of employment agents improved with public-private cooperation
The 2021 review, apart from inviting representatives of relevant government bodies and experts and scholars in the area as review panels, non-governmental organizations, including Yilan Migrant Fishermen Union, Environmental Justice Foundation, and Stella Maris Kaohsiung were also invited to attend the review meeting and gave sound and practical recommendations. Several recommendations were brought up, such as adjustments in the review items, mechanisms for tracking improvements made by underperformed agents, strengthening the caring for crew members, and understanding the service quality delivered by the employment agents to crew members. Indicated by the TFA, it is committed that the future review will continue being held with the input from the private sector and in a transparent way to improve the service quality of the employment agents.
Continuing advancements, protecting human rights
The TFA further explained, the review scheme, which ranks employment agents into 4 categories for employment agents, has been established since 2018, and it is planned to revise the ranking categories into 3 in the future in order to better separate the wheat from the chaff. In addition, it is also intended to regulate that salary being paid by foreign employment agents will not be allowed in the future. The TFA will also seek collaborations with the main origin countries, such as Indonesia, regarding the employment agent management of both sides, crew member trainings, and so on.
In the end, the TFA stated that Taiwan shared the universal value of protecting human rights and endeavors to safeguard the rights and benefits of foreign crew. Through the implementation of the review of employment agents, the agents will put more attention on its management and service quality, which further protects the rights and wellbeing of foreign crews. Taiwan will also keep communicating with stakeholders to jointly improve the protection of human rights in the fishing sector.
Contact Point: Deputy Director-General Mr. Kuo-Ping Lin
Contact E-mail: kuoping@ms1.fa.gov.tw
Group photo of the evaluation panels and representatives from NGOs after the evaluation meeting(open a new window)
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