Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty
Asia is home to seafood producers in the world that more than 70% of its supply has come from this region. Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are countries that lead in producing seafood around the world where many companies have been operating to produce mostly unsustainable products, facing of series of worker’s rights violations, treatment their worker unfairly, and putting workers in risk, suffered and dangerous condition.
Indonesia puts the seafood sector as one of its main commodities to export. Seafood contributes 8% of total GDP in 2016 and targeted the US as the biggest landing country, followed by Japan, Europe, China. Based on the Ministry of Marine and Maritime Affairs (MMAF), Indonesia has produced 6.1 million tons in 2016 and it has grown up to 6.9 million tons in two years after. The valuation of shrimp commodity in 2015 was equivalent to USD 1.3 billion furthermore it seems promising to increase in the coming years after.
In the current seafood value chain, the power of retailers or supermarkets, particularly in the northern countries have significantly increased. Supermarkets have captured the biggest benefit among the chain when at the same time small-scale seafood producer, such as farmers and workers have been declining their shared profit.[1] The said above inequality must be ended. However, CSOs and labor organizations are key actors to tackle imbalance power to create better live of small-scale food producers, especially women workers in the seafood processing industry.
CSOs have been successful in engaging to the retailers and now is aiming to raise awareness of consumers to demand more sustainable seafood consumption. The primary missing element of all seafood-related influencing strategies in Asia going into 2018 had been the lack of significant engagement of seafood trader/ supplier/ processor companies or big retail chains which wield extensive influence over the seafood trader/ supplier/ processor companies to correct systemic injustices in their supply chains.
Involved CSOs have traditionally focused on community mobilization and local government advocacy and are insufficiently able to influence the large seafood trader/ supplier/ processor companies they encounter. CSOs and labor organizations should identify the strategy and strengthen their collaboration to enhance efforts to improve working conditions as well as the protection of worker’s rights. Hence the opportunity to influence the company together with the government is necessary to be created.
In the long-term perspective a sustainable investment in the seafood sector could not ignore the social aspect, especially in the worker’s right element that along with economic purpose. Building a social dialogue among stakeholders in the seafood sector is very relevant to do as part of a strategy to tackle worker’s issues to be deliberated to other stakeholders. Oxfam is requiring a consultant to facilitate a series of dialogue involving various stakeholders.
Oxfam is using more dialogue based on a solution approach for business to promote our aim to improve worker’s rights. Referring to this strategy Oxfam puts the private sector as a potential actor to collaborate as well as CSOs. The government is also identified as a key stakeholder to responsible for ensuring worker’s rights protected.
As part of the programmatic approach Oxfam in Indonesia has been working in partnership with CSOs to support women workers, improving their rights, working conditions through engaging with companies. This is under the Right to Food (RTF) Project that will be ended this year. By end of 2020, we are aiming for at least two targeted companies to made policy commitments and practices to fairly compensate women producers for the effort, their work, passion, working condition, occupational and health safety, social policy program, care and love they put into their processing system.
In the current intervention Oxfam together with partners have fruitful outcomes while working with the private sector. Companies have been more open to dialogue and had a willingness to work together to improve the basic principles to adopt worker’s rights and promoting more economic empowerment to small-scale food producers.
In the upcoming period Oxfam needs to accelerate achievements through intensify influence, engagement, and lobby based on influencing agenda to both companies and government institutions. We need to observe shifting strategy through partnership business model in the future and perhaps through the facilitation process of this consultancy Oxfam has identified allies to work on similar vision in our seafood sector.
Along with that, we perhaps to raise more awareness about inclusive seafood industry that respecting human rights as top of consideration in the business processing model. Oxfam then requires a consultant—could be a person or team—to conduct the facilitation process and mapping out potential ally from CSOs to either the private sector.
OBJECTIVES
This consultancy is needed to do some key objectives as explained below:
- Provide insight and analysis of the current worker’s issues in Indonesia.
- Facilitation on social dialogue among CSOs, labor organizations, private sectors as well as government-related to worker’s rights, particularly in the seafood sector in Indonesia.
- Mapping, assess, and recommend potential allies to strengthening works on the seafood sector of Oxfam in Indonesia.
- A brief analysis of the worker’s rights issue in the seafood sector.
- Conducting 2 times social dialogues involving key stakeholders.
- A report consists of mapping and recommendation potential allies for strengthening seafood works in Indonesia.
How to apply
As part of your online application, please upload your
- up to date CV
- Covering letter
- Proposal contain the method, timeline of detailed activities, and budget to deliver the objectives.
