Tuna processing study - SEAA - The Seafood Ethics Action Alliance

Members of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the Food Network for Ethical Trade (FNET), the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), SeaBOS, and the SEA Alliance, are undertaking a study into the implementation of responsible recruitment practices and the Employer Pays Principle in the global tuna processing sector (within five tuna processing locations – Maldives, Mauritius, Philippines, Seychelles and Thailand).

This study started in July 2023 and was due to complete in June 2024.

The study seeks to:
1. Understand which commitments are being successfully implemented.
2. Barriers to further progress.
3. Actions that can be taken individually or collectively to address practices that do not align with participating organisations’ commitments.

More specifically, the aim of the study is to:

Map existing commitments to responsible recruitment and the Employer Pays Principle from participating organisations and any other relevant stakeholders/initiatives.
Assess the extent to which these commitments are being successfully implemented by identifying where migrant workers continue to pay recruitment fees and associated costs1 and where responsible recruitment principles have not been adopted.
Identify the barriers to responsible recruitment and the adoption of the Employer Pays Principle and where and how these have been overcome.
Identify actions that businesses could take individually and collectively to ensure responsible recruitment and the adoption of the Employer Pays Principle, including any improvements that could be made to the existing guidance and commitments of the participating organisations and any other relevant stakeholders/ initiatives.
Identify the relevant laws and regulatory enforcement processes that support migrant workers and make recommendations on any opportunities for participating organisations and other contributing partners to advocate for their strengthening.

Current position (July 2024)

The final report has recently been released to the commissioning organisations and businesses.
After the commissioners have had time with the report we aim to present the findings to SEAA members.
The SEA Alliance will potentially bring in a 3rd party expert to provide members with practical steps to address responsible recruitment practices in their supply chains.