In 2022 May 20th, Taiwan Fisheries Agency(TFA) amended “Regulations on the Authorization and Management of Overseas Employment of Foreign Crew Members”. In the latest vision, TFA reinforced the safeguard of payment for migrant fisher, and ask the employer to pay wage to migrant fishers directly. The key amendments include two parts, one is the minimum wage. Taiwan Fisheries Agency raised the minimum wage from US$ 450 to US$ 550 per month. If the contract date was before 2022 July 1st, the employer can keep minimum wage on US$ 450 before 2023 January 1; but if the contract date is after 2022 July 1st, the employer needs to implement US$ 550 minimum wage immediately.

　　The other part is the method of payment. In the past, the employer usually made payment through foreign recruitment agent, but the payment was often deducted by the foreign agent for uncertain reasons. In order to avoid wage being illegally deducted by foreign recruitment agent, the employer is required to make payment directly or through Taiwan recruitment agent in new requirement. In addition, after the recruitment of new inspectors in 2022 September 26th, Fisheries Agency can ensure the wage amount, the way of payment, working hours and resting hours, living condition on vessels through inspecting the vessels, the employers and the recruitment agents. By the end of October, there are 196 vessels, 27 employers and 27 recruitment agents have been inspected by TFA this year. TFA ensure and improve the rights of migrant fisher by comprehensive regulatory mechanism and labor inspection that help to avoid further disputes. TFA is continuously committed itself to safeguard and improve the labor right of migrant fisher on Taiwanese distant water fishing vessels.

　　Finally, TFA calls on fishing vessel operators or recruitment agents to review the labor contracts signed with migrant fisher, and raise the minimum wage of crew members to US$550 before January 1 next year, in order to safeguard the labor rights and benefits of migrant fisher.

　　　　Contact Person: Mr. Kuo-Ping Lin, Deputy Director-General of the Fisheries Agency of Taiwan

　　　　E-mail: kuoping@ms1.fa.gov.tw

The labor contract with a stated monthly salary of 550 USD is signed and kept by both employer and employee. TFA will make the employer to obey the contract and safeguard the fisher’s labor through labor inspection.

The labor contract with a stated monthly salary of 550 USD is signed and kept by both employer and employee. TFA will make the employer to obey the contract and safeguard the fisher’s labor through labor inspection.

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