TFFA has allowed three years for its members manufacturing plants and PPs to prepare their labour employment conditions to ensure that labours management in the PPs supplying raw materials to the member plants comply with the relevant labour laws via the training and knowledge transfer between the member plants acting as a mentors and PPs under their production lines. The practice has been effectively supported by International Labour Organization : ILO, Ministry of Labour and the department of Fisheries who dispatched assisting experts to ensure that the Clean and Green Labour practice has been achieved within the Thai frozen food shrimp manufacturing and exporting industry. This is to protect the members from being associated in labour and trade issue leading to trade barrier measures forced upon the industry and eventually trade sanction in major such as USA, EU and Australia. The situation is often fuelled by media and human right NGOs who have focused on Labour employment condition which is the most sensitive aspect in the shrimp product manufacturing industrial supply chain.
To put a stop to the labour issue in the industrial supply chain and to prevent the member plants and the industry from accusation from ant importer or organization claiming that employment of forced and illegal labour still exists in the shrimp manufacturing process of the member plants. Such has led the industry under pressure from various domestic and foreign sectors. In this regard, TFFA has therefor enforced more decisive measures and urged its member and urged its member plants to strictly comply with the governing operational frameworks so that the member plants with good practice and compliance with the laws be truly protected from the effect of labour employment condition related accusation on any PP that has caused wide-spread damage to the industry as a whole up to the present. The practice is the 1 on 1 basis which states that “a legalised Primary Processor (PP) must be supervised and regulated by TFFA’s member manufacturing plant and must purchase shrimp raw material for primary process, produce and supply to only one manufacturing plant”.
Thai Frozen Foods Association has granted approval on the proposal made by the Board of Director while the manufacturing and exporting member plants have duty signed in the rectification stipulating that:
1) Manufacturing plant must primarily process the shrimp (removal of head) within their own plant
2) Manufacturing plant desirous to use external primary processor (PP or Peeling Shed) must be responsible to maintain the said PP as part of the plant such as purchase of raw materials, regulation and compliance with labour laws as well provision of labour welfare as per stipulated
3) The member plants producing products containing shrimp but cannot primary process within their own plants or cannot provide a primary processor under their supervision must purchase processed shrimp from the listed members plants singed in the Rectification
4) Should any member manufacturing plant disagree with the measures set fourth by TFFA and be certain that its shrimp products could be exported without export certification of the Department of Fisheries or other governmental agencies as well as not require benefits from TFFA, such member is requested to inform of their membership whereby the 2015 membership fee shall be refunded to such member.
5) Members already given TFFA related information including name of primary processor (PP or Peeling Shed) under its supervision and regulation, TFFA shall declare their transparency by announcing the name list to the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Labour, Department of Special Investigation (DSI), relevant NGOs, foreign importer associations, governors of provinces where in member plants and PPs located and their readiness to be inspected by lawful agencies
6) In case of primary processor (PP or Peeling Shed) be accused of labour laws case and on trial such as under investigation on case relating to employment condition or under court hearing, the rectified member plant supervising such PP, shall be suspended from benefits granted by TFFA. Should the said PP be found guilty by the First Court, the member manufacturing plant using processed shrimp from the said PP shall be suspended of its membership. Until the Supreme court rules that the said PP is not guilty of such accusation that the member plant shall resume its membership and benefits granted by TFFA.
7) Should any member manufacturing plant provide false information and have been verified so by TFFA, the membership of such member plant shall be terminated immediately.
Academic Division, Thai Frozen Foods Association
TEL: 02 235 5622-4 ext. 24 : 26 June 2015
