End Exploitation At Sea: Indonesian Fishers Task Government, Launch National Right Platform

The Indonesian fishers have 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 steps to deliver justice, protection, and decent livelihoods across the country’s fisheries sector.

The platform was unveiled at a public policy dialogue in Jakarta that brought 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 FRN Policy Platform calls for urgent measures to tackle persistent exploitation, unsafe working conditions, weak enforcement of labour protections, and barriers to justice faced by fishing vessel crew members.

It asserts that all fishers regardless of location, vessel 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.

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

It sets out three core demands: that the Indonesian Government take concrete, enforceable steps to guarantee justice, protection, and a decent livelihood for all fishers; that employers be held fully accountable for ensuring and upholding fishers’ rights, including safety, contracts, wages, and social protection; and that community leaders, religious leaders, seafaring communities, and the wider public actively support strong policies to protect fishers and hold decision-makers to account.

The platform further calls for full occupational safety and health protections for all fishers; guaranteed rights to organise, unionise, and enter into collective bargaining agreements; and the ratification, effective implementation, and enforcement of ILO Convention 188.

It also demands mandatory pre-departure training for all fishers, full access to justice, legal assistance and effective remedies, and robust enforcement of existing laws, backed by regular monitoring and the active involvement of unions and civil society to end impunity in the fisheries sector.

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

Pangestu said. “This platform makes it clear what must change, and it makes clear who is responsible. Fishers and their unions must be at the table in every decision that affects our lives and our work.”KPI General Secretary Dewa Budiasa 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.

”The unions urged 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 where they work or their employment status.