US labour rights concerns vex govt

The Labour Ministry is vowing to expedite the removal of fishmeal, fish oil and animal feed from the US government’s 2024 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor, or Forced Labour List.
Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has ordered urgent action to address concerns regarding Thai products on the US’ List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, says Labour Ministry spokesman Phumiphat Mueanchan.
This list, managed under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005, includes goods suspected of being produced with child or forced labour and is also known as the TVPRA List.
Additionally, Thai products appear on the “List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor” under Executive Order 13126, also known as the EO List.
The US Department of Labor recently published the 2024 TVPRA and EO Lists, which include three Thai products: fishmeal, animal feed and fish oil.
The Labour Ministry has been instructed to form a working group, comprising private sector representatives like the Thai Tuna Industry Association and the Thai Pet Food Trade Association, to develop a strategy for removing these fishery-related products from the lists.
Mr Phumiphat said the minister has acknowledged concerns raised by the private sector about the impact of this listing, particularly on Thailand’s exports of fisheries and pet food products to the US, which are valued at over US$1 billion (about 33 billion baht) annually.
Currently, five Thai products, including shrimp, fish, sugarcane, garments and pornography, remain on the TVPRA List, while garments are the sole product included on the EO List.
The labour minister has directed a thorough investigation and remediation efforts for all these items.
Over the past two years, Thailand has made some progress in eliminating child and forced labour from its production processes, leading to the removal of shrimp products from both lists, Mr Phumiphat said.
Sugarcane, which is now harvested with machinery, is also being considered for removal. The Labour Ministry continues to inspect workplaces and promote good labour practices, with the goal of removing all Thai products from the US lists, said the spokesman.