The Certification and Ratings Collaboration worked in partnership with a human and labor rights-focused organization, Issara Institute, on a two year research project to identify current and potential independent worker voice mechanisms in India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. We commissioned this research because decent work is an urgent priority in the seafood industry and effective worker engagement is an essential element of decent work that is often overlooked.

One of our main goals was to inform progress with a better understanding of which worker engagement mechanisms in these countries are most effective. Issara was tasked with identifying options across five countries for building and/or expanding credible, ongoing worker voice mechanisms in both on-shore and at-sea seafood work, and develop recommendations for how seafood certifications, seafood businesses, civil society groups, governments and the funding/development community can support independent worker voice mechanisms to best serve people and planet.

Issara’s report articulates a set of principles that define effective worker engagement and recommendations for closer partnership between seafood certification and rating programs and civil society organizations (CSOs) in seafood-producing countries. And it spotlighted capacity constraints facing many in-country CSOs.

The Certification and Ratings Collaboration has also produced a short guidance document for seafood businesses with targeted recommendations, based on the findings and broader recommendations in Issara’s report.

Collaboration member organizations plan to use Issara’s recommendations to inform future reviews of standards, tools, and/or work with business partners, as appropriate to each program. This document summarizes individual member organizations’ next steps. We also recorded a short webinar on how seafood businesses can improve worker engagement, based on the guidance document.