The minimum monthly wage for migrant fishers working on Taiwanese-owned distant-water fishing vessels is to be increased by US$100 with effect from July, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.
The Cabinet approved the minimum wage hike on Thursday as part of a broader plan to improve working conditions for migrant fishers, the council said.
The plan is to raise the monthly minimum pay for that category of migrant fisher from US$450 to US$550, the COA said, adding that there are about 21,000 migrant workers onboard Taiwanese-owned distant-water fishing vessels.
The salaries must be paid directly to the fishers instead of through an employment agency, and the workers have the right to contact the COA if their employers fail to adhere to that regulation, Fisheries Agency Director-General Chang Chih-sheng said.
Under the plan, the government has made it mandatory for migrant fishers on such vessels to have medical insurance coverage of at least NT$300,000 (US$10,253), while their accident insurance coverage has been increased from NT$1 million to NT$1.5 million.
Furthermore, crews would no longer be permitted to remain at sea for more than 10 consecutive months.
The plan was devised to improve livelihoods and human rights in the industry, the COA said.