Senegalese and Ivorian crew working on European tuna vessels launch renewed push for minimum ILO base salary
By
A new report published by the Blue Marine Foundation has revealed how Senegalese and Ivorian crew members working on board European-owned tuna fishing vessels face discrimination, poor working conditions and delayed or withheld payments.
Such findings come as global demand for canned tuna continues to increase – particularly in Europe, where 37 per cent of the world’s canned tuna is consumed.
Check out our related reads:
This new report also comes against the backdrop of renewed negotiations between representatives of West African crew members and the European companies that employ them.
These negotiations are focused on updating an agreement between European fishing companies and unions representing Senegalese and Ivorian crew members that was signed in September 2023, and which was only meant to last for six months while negotiations continued.
The agreement put in place a temporary minimum basic salary of 250,000 FCFA per month – approximately US$414 – far below the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) minimum base wage for 2023 of $658 per month. This comes despite these European companies generating more than £364 million in combined turnover in 2023 alone.
Those working on board European tuna vessels have also faced overly complicated payment systems – the report highlights how crew members’ payslips were often written in multiple languages and contained opaque calculations along with unexplained deductions, making it difficult to understand whether they were paid what they were owed.
‘Our time spent working in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire has revealed a troubling pattern of racism and discrimination experienced by many crew members working on board the European fishing vessels that supply the tuna that lines our shelves,’ said Head of Investigation at Blue Marine and co-author of the report Jess Rattle.
‘Some of these crew members gave decades of their lives to a fishing company before being let go without explanation, with others continuing to work gruelling hours at sea while still not being able to adequately provide for their families back home,’ Rattle continued.
As well as issues with pay, the report also detailed accounts of crew being given medication that had expired, or being told to cut off their injured body part by the captain when asking for medical advice. Some accounts from crew members also described instances of having to work through serious injuries with little medical support.
In addition, many West African crew members onboard had to drink water from ‘the tank’ – desalinated water used for washing and cleaning – whereas European crew drank bottles of mineral water.
Working hours were also extremely long: of 62 respondents surveyed, 47 per cent worked between 13-16 hours a day, while 31 per cent worked more than 16. Almost all respondents reported having no days off from work, either at sea or in port.
In the wake of such clear discrimination and working rights violation, the latest report calls for significant improvements in working and living conditions for those onboard, including guarantee of the ILO minimum monthly wage; regular salary payments; compliance with ILO regulations on working hours; transparent and accurate retirement contributions and the provision of sufficient, nutritious food and potable water onboard.
