Catherwood LibraryILR School

Last week, the Thai government ratified the ILO Convention on work in fishing- making Thailand the first Asian country to ratify Convention number 188. The convention creates requirements for working conditions in the fishing trade, in order to eliminate worker exploitation. The executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum has stated that Thailand’s ratification of Convention number 188 is a step in the right direction, however, there is still work to be done. If Thailand would like to create sustainable change in an industry that is susceptible to labor abuse, the country must also ratify conventions 87 and 98 which protest workers’ rights to organize, form unions, and bargain with their employers. Additionally, Thailand must allow migrant workers to form their own unions, as this population tends to be especially vulnerable.