Due to negligence of fishermen’s own safety or the unsafe working environment, workers are often injured at work. In addition to the physical injury of the injured workers themselves, the psychology and the operation of the company are also affected. Therefore, prevention is a very important subject for workers and employers.
The marine fishing industry is no exception. It is common for fishermen to be injured at work, ranging from minor wounds to loss of precious lives. Foreign fishermen leave their hometowns and come to work in Taiwan. When they encounter illness and injury, they will miss their family members very much. However, in a foreign land, they can only provide psychological support through their fellow villagers or friends around them. Their employers should also be responsible. Take care of them so that injured migrant workers can recover and return to the workplace as soon as possible.
Ali is a very young foreign fisherman, who has just worked in Taiwan for two years. When the fishing boat returned to the port and was approaching the shore, Ali was responsible for jumping to the shore first, pulled the rope off the fishing boat, and tied it to the iron stake on the shore. The fishing boat can be pulled back by the fixed rope and parked near the shore; however, because he is a novice in charge of driving the fishing boat, he did not grasp the distance properly due to improper operation, so that the tied rope was released and hit Ali's hand instantly. A bone fracture was caused, which made Ali unbearable. The employer rushed Ali to the doctor and contacted the intermediary to assist the hospital and medical related matters. After the emergency surgery in the hospital, the injured part of Ali was treated by the doctor. There was no danger temporarily, just to wait for the wound to recover.
When the Rerum Novarum commissioner found out that Ali was injured from his agency, he took the new quilt donated by the public to the dormitory for Ali and provided spiritual support and told him related occupational disaster rights, so that Ali could take a good rest from the injury and return to the ship to work as soon as possible.
When he first arrived at the dormitory, the commissioner gave Ali a quilt and reminded him to keep warm. Recently, the cold snap has been constant, and the temperature has been decreasing. In addition to the injury, he needs to be more careful not to catch cold. Ali told the commissioner that the hand still hurts, and the finger at the end cannot be moved; however, he still feels the touched. The commissioner asked Ali to explain the his condition clearly to the doctor when he returned to the hospital so that the doctor could understand and then prescribe the correct prescription to assist in the treatment and rehabilitation.
Ali was worried about the income, and the agent told Ali that the employer would provide assistance in accordance with the regulations, so that Ali would not lose his income due to injury. At the same time, because Ali had insurance, there was no need to worry about the cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation. Before leaving the dormitory, the commissioner asked Ali’s friends from other villages to visit him often, so that he would not be alone during the recovery period. The villagers in unison reminded to him to take care and don't think too much.
As the saying goes, “At home one depends on his parents; abroad, he needs the help of his friends.” It is the current situation of Ali, because what people fear most in a foreign land is getting sick and getting hurt or encountering difficulties and slumps. Therefore, friends around them in a foreign land are the greatest support, instead of family members to give companionship and help.
We should take more care of these foreigners in the local area, because they have gone across the ocean and come to Taiwan to work in order to improve the lives of their families, which has also helped the labor demand of Taiwan's economy, so that all industries will not be seriously affected by the labor shortage in Taiwan. As a result, we all thank them for their efforts and contribution.
The Rerum Novarum will collect and sort out the common occupational disasters information in the working environment for foreign fishermen, and provide effective prevention methods of the suggestions of experts and scholars for them, so that fishermen can avoid encountering accidents during work. This way can enhance their awareness of work safety and self-protection, so that fishermen can come to Taiwan to work safely, and at the same time, they can return to their home countries in a safe and healthy manner.
In the long run, the fishermen is a group who has been ignored. In 2017, Rerum Novarum reach these people. We not only concern about their lives but help them solve the problem about regulation, salary payment, job accident, employers changing, human trafficking, and so on. We went to 21 ports and solve the practical problems of the fishermen. Due to the language barrier, we see many fishermen do not know how to ask for help and bear the difficult working environment instead. They are working day and night with the thin salary. We are looking forward to your help and hope your can be the protector for the foreign migrants. Press “I want to donate.” or call (02)2397-1933 #122. Thanks for your attention!