FCF Continues the Rollout of Worker’s Voice Solution

FCF Co., Ltd., along with its partner organization The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Seamen and Fishermen’s Service Center (PCTSFSC) and committed supply chain vessel owners, undertook site visits of longline and purse seine fishing vessels at port of Kaohsiung as part of the on-going effort to implement the novel “Worker’s Voice” Program. With this site visit, FCF and PCTSFSC aim to raise awareness amongst the tuna fishing vessels, predominately the crew members, to ensure that they understand their rights to independently and safely raise issues related to vessel and crew member’s health and safety. The actual process of submitting communications was demonstrated to the crew members, including the scanning of the novel “Workers Voice” QR-Code. Through this confidential and efficient electronic messaging system, the filling of matters such as the complaints is made relatively simple by completing a readily available format that has been developed in multiple languages. After submission, the form then goes to representatives of the PCTSFSC for review and a resolution process through the e-Worker’s Voice Platform.

The Worker’s Voice program is a joint effort between FCF and PCTSFSC, and each party has well defined the roles in the process. FCF has independently developed this tool that can be deployed on distant water fishing vessels for crew members to address issues that emerge on what can be arduous lives at sea. The technical collaboration has been with e-Audit Services, a provider of novel and cost-effective audit management solutions for complex global supply chains. The e-Worker’s Voice is the one solution, that is an integrated system allowing efficient management and documentation of large scale of surveys focused on social risks and corrective action implementation. Issues such as workplace complaints are anonymously submitted and collected from crew members, and the system provides the ability to track submissions status and progress toward resolution and eventual documented orderly close-out for each individual case. The submission form is currently available in six (6) languages for those nationalities commonly found as crew in the fishing industry.

The key partner, PCTSFSC, as an organization that is providing consulting services and continuous support for seafarers and fishers, will in this case handle each individual submission through the e-Worker’s Voice platform in an equitable and timely manner such as to provide confidence to the submitting crew member. PCTSFSC is able to communicate independently and directly with the crew members in multiple languages given its diversity within the organization from its home base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Any information related to a submission or complainant will be considered confidential throughout the entire process. Crew members are provided with the option to submit issues anonymously and, if they wish, to create a unique account so that appropriate follow-up and monitoring by PCTSFSC can be ensured.

Vessel owners who have volunteered to assist in raising awareness amongst their crew members are “committed” FCF suppliers that are also actively engaged in the implementation of FCF’s Social Responsibility Program. They are fully committed to adopting and implementing the “Worker’s Voice” & Grievance mechanism to all their fishing vessels. FCF, PCTSFSC and the vessel owners/operators have jointly committed to implement an effective social risk management and independent grievance mechanism through this Program. Crew members of all origins, are now able to anonymously lodge concerns during fishing trips knowing that the well-respected PCTSFSC will follow-up on these submissions in a timely, professional and independent resolution process via this trend setting e-Worker’s Voice platform. FCF envisions that more and more of their supply chain vessels to support and fully adopt this communication mechanism in the coming year.