(Songkhla province) – Songkhla Fishermen’s Life Enhancement Center (FLEC Center) in Songkhla province, enhances the quality of life of migrant workers, and their families, who works on fishing boat in Songkhla province in the southern Thailand and nearby areas. Supports has been provided to the migrant workers and their family through the delivery of medicine boxes which can be used on the boat to promote their good health and to teach them to lift up the safety at the workplaces.

The FLEC center has been established since 2016 under the collaboration of the state and private agencies namely the Fish Marketing Organization under Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Department of Labor Protection and Welfare, the Planned Parenthood Association of Thailand, Stella Maris Seafarers Center Songkhla (Baan Suksan) and Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF). This effort aims to tackle issues of forced labor and the use of illegal labor in the fishery industry in Thailand.

Ms. Nattaya Petcharat, FLEC’s Committee said that the center has been implementing activities since 2016 including consultant aids, educational opportunity, health promotion, knowledge related to labor right etc. This year, the center focuses on a proactive campaign in order to accelerate safety at workplace for migrant workers who works on the fishing boat. The scheme comprises providing knowledge about safety on fishing boat, life rescue and treating with medicine, and sets of first aids kits to migrant workers when working on the boat.

So far, the center has met and distributed medicine boxes to around 1,200 migrant workers of 61 fishing boats. This will assure that the workers are well aware to reduce the risk of work-related accidents and that they can have access to medicine adequately when they are sick or feeling unwell.

Promoting knowledge on safety at workplace is one of important elements to increase well-being and good health for migrant labors and their families in Songkhla province and nearby areas. This campaign will support the center to achieve its goal to enhance the quality of life of migrant workers which is in line with human rights principles, and to eliminate the issues of slavery and illegal labour usage in Thailand.