HCM City (VNA) – Firms fulfillinglabour criteria is a key for the fishery sector to achieve sustainable growth,experts said at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 22.

Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, head of the LegalDepartment at the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said Vietnamhas engaged in more than 10 free trade agreements (FTAs), presentingopportunities for the expansion of export markets, particularly in fishery.

Trang noted most new-generation FTAsincorporate terms on labour and social welfare, including collectivebargaining, eradication of forced labour and prohibition of child labour. Thepacts also have principles on proper labour conditions regarding salary,working time and safety, while encouraging the development of labour-relatedcorporate social responsibility.

She said that the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which Vietnamis a member, is considered as having the most demanding labour and socialwelfare conditions among these deals.

If a participating country fails to meet therequirements, it can be sued and lose tariff benefits offered by the FTA, shenoted, noting that similar consequences are applied to fishery companies whobreak their labour commitments.

Trang concluded that complete fulfillment oflabour criteria not only satisfies partners’ demand but also increases the prestigeof Vietnamese firms, making it easier to access demanding markets.

Nguyen Hoai Nam, Vice General Secretary ofthe Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), saidVietnam currently exports seafood products to more than 160 countries with highrequirements of quality and social welfare matters.

Vietnamese fishery firms have responded wellto the domestic law on labour and related criteria set by FTAs, he stated.

On the business side, Le Van Quang, Chairmanof the executive board of Minh Phu seafood group, said internationalorganisations stress social welfare and labour issues.

According to him, to ship its productsoverseas, the company has to go through social welfare assessments from about10 different international organisations per year.

On child labour, Minoru Ogasawara, ChiefTechnical Advisor at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) office inVietnam, said a 2012 survey showed that about 1.7 million Vietnamese childrentook part in the workforce, about 60 percent of whom were aged between 15 and17. There were approximately 50,000 children, half of them were 15 and older,working in the fishery sector.

Participating experts suggestednational-level policies to address the issue, including detailed social studiesto assess the origin of child-labour-related products and their impact onsociety. 

The seminar was organised by the VASEP and ILOoffice in Vietnam.-VNA