Beginning on January 1, all shrimp processing operations by Thai Union will be conducted within the confines of company-operated plants. As such, shellfish peeling and other services formerly performed by outside vendors will no longer be contracted, and many workers who had performed such jobs will be given the opportunity to remain employed by joining Thai Union.
“The move will provide us with full oversight of all processing stages. All processing work will be directly controlled by Thai Union, ensuring that all workers, whether migrant or Thai, are in safe, legal employment and are treated fairly and with dignity,” declared the company in a prepared statement.
The Bangkok-headquartered frozen and canned seafood company, which employs 46,000 people worldwide and rang up BT 120 billion in sales last year, is bringing all phases of processing under its roof to guarantee total adherence to a revised Business Ethics and Labor Code of Conduct that was drawn up in September.
“We were concerned that, despite regular audits, it is difficult to guarantee that all external pre-processors were adhering to our Code of Conduct,” said Thiraphong Chansiri, the company’s president and chief executive officer. ” “I am pleased that we are implementing our plans to bring pre-processing of our shrimp products into Thai Union and are able to offer safe and legal employment to thousands more workers. This is a positive step towards our goal of ridding the Thai seafood sector of illegal labor practices. We are committed to leading improvements in the industry and we hope this reminds all operators that they must remain focused on promoting good labor practices – the abuse of human rights must not be tolerated.”
Dr. Panisuan Jamnarnwej, honorary chairman of the Thai Frozen Foods Association (TFFA), praised Thai Union’s action as part of the solution to elevate the national industry and drive positive change in the management of the category.
“By bringing pre-processing operations in house, Thai Union will be able to monitor and promote the welfare of their workers directly,” he said.
