Taiwan is raising the minimum wage for migrant fishing workers as the country’s deep-sea ships face intense scrutiny for human rights abuses. The new monthly wage, set by Taiwan’s agriculture council, will rise in July to US$550 a month, up from US$450 right now.
The announcement on Friday comes days after Taiwanese prosecutors charged nine people with practicing forced labor and physically abusing migrant fishers on a deep-sea vessel.
Taiwan’s fishing industry has come under pressure from the United States, the European Union and a number of international organizations for alleged abuses. Some migrant fishing workers say they were beaten and forced to work 20 hours a day, as well as having their passports confiscated and pay docked.
Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung says those kinds of abuses happen on “a minority of a minority” of ships. Nonetheless, he is announcing the pay rise and other measures aimed at overseeing migrant labor brokers. Chen says he hopes these steps will help stop human rights abuses on Taiwan’s deep-sea vessels.