On April 8th 2021, FCF participated in a ceremony with The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Seamen’s/Fishermen’s Service Center (PCTSFSC) officially recognizing their joint effort, via the signing of an MOU, to implement a grievance reporting mechanism for workers along the fishery supply chain, particularly those on board fishing vessels.
The newly established Worker Voice Platform will provide all crew members working on FCF-associated vessels the opportunity to anonymously offer feedback or file concerns regarding their working environment through a QR code. Grievances will be directly received by the PCTSFSC, allowing crew members to share their experiences without fear of reprisal by ensuring that an independent and trusted third party evaluates and remediates all claims, as appropriate.
The project is FCF’s most recent demonstration of its effort to bolster worker welfare and address the importance of grievance mechanisms on fishing vessels by improving traceability and transparency throughout its supply chain. With a formal, documented, and confidential electronic method of raising complaints crewmembers are further encouraged to initiate conversations regarding the different treatment they may encounter in the workplace. In addition to its partnership with PCTSFSC, FCF also works with e-Audit, a third party social auditing service, to perform office and site (fishing vessel) audits that evaluate whether labor rights are met and areas where working environments can be improved. FCF is committed to amplifying the worker voice and establishing secure channels of communication between crew members and grievance evaluators.
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