Behind the massive growth of the fishing industry, there is a dark reality experienced by many Indonesian crew members (ABK/”Anak Buah Kapal”). They are often victims of the labor crisis and economic growth; exploitation, forced labor, physical and psychological abuse, and other human rights violations. Many crew members work up to 20 hours a day without proper wages, lose their right to salaries for months, and even experience inhumane treatment, such as dumping bodies overboard without following international procedures. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 8 emphasizes “Decent Work and Economic Growth”. The goal is to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. 

Reporting from the KIME FEB UNNES website, BPS (Central Statistics Agency) data for August 2024 recorded that 31.94% of the workforce were not full-time workers. This shows that almost a third of the total number of workers in Indonesia do not do their jobs with standard working hours. These non-full-time workers consist of 34.63 million (23.94%) part-time workers and 11.56 million (8%) underemployed workers. Part-time workers refer to those who work less than 35 hours per week, while the underemployed are those who are employed but still looking for additional work or jobs with more hours. 

This condition shows that most Indonesians are currently not fully employed and do not meet the criteria for decent work according to the ILO (International Labor Organization). Then, according to data from the BPS (Central Bureau of Statistics) publication “Decent Work Indicators in Indonesia 2023 Volume 7, 2024, 41% of the workforce in the country has formal jobs, while the other 59% work in the informal sector. Formal employment includes labor contracts, social security, and good working conditions, while informal employment often does not provide adequate protection or workers’ rights. Due to inconsistent enforcement of regulations, existing labor regulations are often poorly implemented. Lack of supervision and enforcement means that many informal workers are denied basic rights such as health insurance, job security, and pensions. 

The data above shows that employment conditions in Indonesia are still poor and can affect sustainable economic growth in Indonesia. One of the issues that we will raise in the documentary film that we will make is the issue of providing inadequate employment for ship laborers or crew members (ABK) in the new Muara area. It is known that the crew members in the new estuary harbor do not get their rights as workers. They often do not get the

salaries promised by ship owners who hire their services. Even if they are paid regularly, the salary is not commensurate with their hard work. Crew members are also vulnerable to labor issues; exploitative working hours often exceeding 7-10 hours a day, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions at sea, illegal and non-contractual recruitment, and the practice of body-slinging. Reporting from the website www.greenpeace.org, regulation of shipping work in the country of Indonesia is still considered not optimal, so that the provision of unfit employment for ship laborers often occurs. As evidence in 2020, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) received 104 complaints related to slavery and forced labor experienced by crew members at sea, which number increased from 2019, of 86 complaints. 

Therefore, this issue was chosen because it is very relevant to efforts to achieve SDG 8 and is a clear reflection of the failure of the labor protection system in the fisheries sector. In addition, Indonesia, as a maritime country with a large number of fisheries workers, has a moral and legal responsibility to protect crew members from forced labor and exploitation. One organization that encourages such protection is Greenpeace Indonesia, which is part of a global environmental organization. Greenpeace was founded in 1971 in Canada by a group of activists who opposed nuclear testing in the American state of Alaska. Since then, Greenpeace has developed into an international organization that focuses on environmental protection through non-violent direct action and public campaigns. The push for ratification of ILO Convention 188 has also been echoed by civil society organizations, including Greenpeace Indonesia. 

Of the 11 ASEAN member states, Thailand is the only one that has ratified and adopted ILO Convention 188 (K-188) into its legislation. While K-188 sets minimum standards of protection for fisheries workers, Indonesia lags behind in adopting and implementing them. Voicing deep concern over this condition, Greenpeace Indonesia urges the ratification of ILO Convention 188 because this convention is an important instrument to protect the rights and dignity of workers in the fisheries sector, especially crew members, who have been vulnerable to forced labor practices, exploitation, and human rights violations. As a form of support for this call and an effort to raise public awareness, we raised this issue in a documentary film, hoping to open the eyes of the wider community to the importance of protection for crew members.