Maritime Exceptionalism in Action: Industrial Relations in Indonesia’s Fishing Sector

Speaker: Michele Ford, Benni Hasbiyalloh and Wayne Palmer

Moderator: Fabiola Mieres, ILO Research Department

Responding to the complex nature of work at sea, international organizations and national governments have set industry-specific standards for seafarers and fishers underpinned by the doctrine of maritime exceptionalism. In practice, these industry-specific standards have led to the introduction of complex systems characterized by jurisdictional uncertainty and inter-agency competition, which may in fact hinder sea-based workers’ capacity to access their labor rights. This article analyses the impact of the doctrine of maritime exceptionalism on commercial fishers’ access to national industrial relations processes and mechanisms in Indonesia drawing on interviews with commercial fishers, unionists, labour inspectors and other government officials at the national level and in five major ports.

About the speaker

Michele Ford is Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her research focuses on Southeast Asian labour movements, the intersection between national and international trade unions, union responses to temporary labour migration and labour’s engagement in the political sphere.