It is never easy for individuals to go up against large, well-resourced, and influential corporations like Bumble Bee, but a group of Indonesian fishermen are. This letter will be delivered to their legal team with a request to share it with them as a symbol of support and solidarity.
We, the undersigned individuals and organizations, stand in solidarity with the fishers who have filed a human trafficking lawsuit against Bumble Bee. The lawsuit alleges that these individuals experienced physical violence, emotional abuse, untreated life-threatening and deformity-causing injuries, debt bondage, excessive working hours, lack of payment, and financial threats against family members of workers, as they caught tuna that was sold by Bumble Bee in the US.
Fishing is one of the most dangerous and isolated work places on the planet and an estimated more than 128,000 fishers are expected to be working in conditions of forced labor. Our oceans are being depleted by overfishing and destructive fishing practices to fuel the $350 billion global seafood industry. These two interlinked problems create a downward spiral for workers and our oceans, including causing adverse impacts for coastal communities globally.
We the undersigned
- condemn human trafficking in the seafood industry – and in all industries;
- stand for the rights of all individuals to seek justice and demand accountability;
- recognize that healthy oceans and decent work are essential and inseparable;
- believe in people over profits. Always.
In Solidarity,
SIGN HERE
UNIONS:
- International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) (Global)
- The Indonesian Workers Union Confederation (KSPN) (Indonesia)
- Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (United States)
- The Indonesian Seafarer’s Trade Union (SAKTI) (Indonesia)
- The Migrant and Informal Workers Union (Sebumi KSBSI) (Indonesia)
- The Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) (Indonesia)
- Yilan Migrant Fishermen Union (Taiwan)
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS:
- Above Ground, a project of MakeWay (Canada)
- African Law Foundation (AFRILAW) (Nigeria)
- Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA) (Thailand)
- Azul (United States)
- Between the Waters (United States)
- BLOOM (France)
- Center for Coalfield Justice (United States)
- Corporate Accountability Lab (United States)
- Corporate Justice Coalition (United Kingdom)
- Cottage Codgers (United States)
- Earh Ethics, Inc. (United States)
- Environmental Investigation Agency (United Kingdom)
- Environmental Justice Foundation (United Kingdom)
- Environmental Rights Foundation (Taiwan) (Taiwan)
- Freedom Collaborative (United States)
- Freedom United (United States)
- Friends of the Earth (United States)
- Global Labor Justice (United States)
- Greenpeace East Asia – Taipei (Taiwan)
- Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Thailand)
- Greenpeace USA (United States)
- HEAL Trafficking (United States)
- Human Rights at Sea (United Kingdom)
- Humanity United Action (United States)
- Inland Ocean Coalition (United States)
- International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (United States)
- Keaka Conservation Trust (United States)
- North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE) (United States)
- Ocean Defense Initiative (United States)
- Partners for Dignity & Rights (United States)
- Praeveni Global (United States)
- SEBUMI (Indonesia)
- Sedane Labour Resource Centre (Lembaga Informasi Perburuhan Sedane) (LIPS) (Indonesia)
- Serve the People Association (SPA) (Taiwan)
- Sumatera Environmental Initiative (Indonesia)
- The Coalition for Aceh Sea Advocacy (Koalisi untuk Advokasi Laut Aceh) (KuALA) (Indonesia)
- The Freedom Fund (United Kingdom)
- The Human Trafficking Legal Center (United States)
- The Indonesian Women Coalition (Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia) (Indonesia)
- The People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Koalisi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Perikanan (KIARA)) (Indonesia)
- Unseen (United Kingdom)
- Verité (United States)
- Women Rising Radio (United States)
- 台灣人權促進會 (Taiwan)
BUSINESSES:
- My Bougie Bottle (United States)