This report presents a detailed investigation into the discrimination and poor working conditions endured by many Ivorian and Senegalese crew members working on board European-owned tuna purse seine vessels operating in the Indian Ocean. Section One documents first-hand accounts of the discriminatory treatment faced by crew members both on board and on shore. These issues were experienced to varying degrees on different vessels and ranged from insufficient medical care, excessive working hours and inadequate rest to unfair employment terms, delayed or withheld payments and a troubling pattern of racism and unequal treatment. 

An analysis of crew members’ employment terms in Section Two reveals further issues including backdated contracts, incorrect minimum wage information and references to obsolete agreements. Payslips were often written in multiple languages, were overly complex and contained opaque calculations and unexplained deductions, making it EXECUTIVE SUMMARY difficult for crew members to understand whether they were paid what they were owed. An independent investigation into the ultimate beneficial ownership of the vessels confirms that a handful of fishing companies control the European distant-water purse seine fleet operating in the Indian Ocean. 

The significant profits generated by several of these companies, not to mention the almost €60 million in shareholder dividends that they paid out over the past five years, make their continued refusal to adopt the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) minimum base salary for their West African crew members all the more unjustifiable. Several crew members reportedly faced retaliation, including dismissal and intimidation, following previous strike action, fuelling fears of further repercussions if demands for fair wages continue.

Despite this, syndicates and crew members expressed a shared aspiration for significant improvements in working and living conditions that align with internationally recognised labour standards, as described in Section Three.