Being part of a fishing boat crew was always the dream of Sefriansah, 23 years old. When graduating from the Commercial Shipping Vocational School, he immediately looked for a job. “I dreamed of working at sea in the machine section. I was inspired by my father who worked on fishing boats and even once owned a fishing boat,” said Sefriansah.

Six months after graduating he received information from his junior classmate who already worked on a fishing boat about a job vacancy. He was introduced to a job broker who helped him with all the documents needed to work at sea.

From Banyuwangi City, East Java, where he lived, he went to Tegal City, Central Java—taking a journey of more than 750 kilometres. His broker left him to a manning agency. He stayed at the company’s accommodation for 3 to 4 months where he occasionally had to take a physical training in the morning and had a quick briefing about basic safety and the vessel in the afternoon.

In September 2019, together with other five new boat crews, he was flown to Fiji, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, via Australia to a long line ship with a Chinese flag. He was informed that his working contract was 2 years with a salary of USD320 per month. However, he had to pay a 2-year deposit of USD2,400 through monthly salary deduction of USD100.

When arriving in Fiji, the first two days he was sent to work as a dockworker for other ships. “On the third day, I was told that I would work with nine other crew members of whom three are Indonesians in the long line ship.”

The hardship at sea begins

The first working day was a shock for Sefriansah. He was never informed about types of jobs that he had to do. He was not assigned tasks working with machines either like he always dreamt. His main duty was spreading the bait and trolling for around 10-15 working hours per day.

“The resting time is only 3 to 4 hours because in between spreading the bait and trolling, we also need to clean up the boat and prepare the fishing rods. The working hours are irregular and if there are a lot of catches, we can work for 24 hours,” he recalled.

Despite the hardship, Sefriansah was determined to finish his contract. “For a year, I work with a determination to earn my salary that I will use to support my family and go back to school, earning a higher education,” he said, adding that every month he could send over USD100 to his family.

However, after one year of work, he had a dream about his mother. He had a feeling his mother would pass away. “Every two months our ship docks and when arriving in Vanuatu in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, I immediately checked my Facebook. I was shaken when I learned that my mother passed away three days ago. I was so heartbroken,” he shared.

Sefriansah instantly informed the ship owner who prohibited him from going back home. He then asked the company to send his family half of his deposit money. Again, his request was rejected.

“I am told that I could only get my deposit money one month after I finish my contract. I am so disappointed and upset because I couldn’t use my own money,” he said.

Fighting for his labour rights

Refusing to let his frustration hinder his job, he continued to work until the end of his contract in 2021. However, when he asked for his deposit money, the company still refused and urged him to continue working.

“I refused the offer and had an argument with the ship owner. The ship owner refused to give me a ticket to go home and insisted that I stay and continue working. The owner also refused to pay for my COVID-19 vaccine,” he told.

Consequently, Sefriansah was stranded for three months in indecent living conditions. When he ran out of money, he asked his agent in Indonesia for help. “But again, they said that I have to follow the rules by extending my contract and continuing working.”

In a moment of despair, he contacted the Indonesian Embassy in Fiji who connected him with the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Australia. After sending the details of his case, within a few days, a representative from the embassy helped him to get vaccinated and sent him home to Indonesia in January 2022.

Realizing that the agency would not release his deposit money, he reported his case to the Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union (SBMI). After a tough negotiation between SBMI and the manning agency, the agency finally agreed to pay back the deposit money in instalments. However, they refused to pay compensation for the time that Sefriansah was stranded in Fiji for 3 months.

He is still hoping that he will get the compensation. He plans to continue his study in a maritime training school in Banten, West Java. “Every time I remember how they denied my labour rights and withheld my earnings, my heart boils,” he uttered.

Commenting on the case, Muhamad Nour, National Coordinator for ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab programme in Indonesia, explained that in order to provide better protection for migrant fishers like Sefriansah, the ILO has supported SBMI to establish a Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC) in Pemalang district, Central Java, which is known for having a large number of fishers going abroad and is the headquarters of most private recruitment and manning agencies.

“Through the MRC, we can work together to ensure that there will be no cases like Sefriansah’s. All migrant fishers will have adequate information about their labour rights, challenges they face, indicators of forced labour, contacts if they need help and other services that include legal case assistance,” explained Nour.

He added that the MRC involves the participation of local authorities at all levels, including at the district and village levels. “We also collaborate with SBMI to strengthen the role and function of MRC that also includes the empowerment of the families of migrant workers.”