Ratification of ILO Convention No. 188 Through Presidential Regulation No. 25 of 2026: A Momentum for Real Protection of Domestic Fishery Crew Members
Bitung, Sulawesi Utara – Serikat Awak Kapal Perikanan Bersatu (SAKTI-Sulut) menyambut baik langkah Pemerintah Republik Indonesia yang telah meratifikasi Konvensi ILO/KILO 188 tentang Pekerjaan dalam Penangkapan Ikan melalui Peraturan Presiden Nomor 25 Tahun 2026. Ratifikasi ini menjadi tonggak penting dalam perjuangan panjang perlindungan hak-hak awak kapal perikanan, khususnya awak kapal perikanan domestik yang selama ini masih menghadapi kekosongan perlindungan hukum.
Bitung, North Sulawesi – The Fishery Crew Members Union United (SAKTI-Sulut) welcomes the Government of the Republic of Indonesia’s decision to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 188 concerning Work in Fishing through Presidential Regulation No. 25 of 2026. This ratification marks an important milestone in the long-standing struggle to protect the rights of fishery crew members, particularly domestic fishery workers who have long faced significant gaps in legal protection.
SAKTI-Sulut menilai bahwa ratifikasi KILO 188 bukan hanya sekadar pengesahan dokumen internasional, tetapi harus menjadi pintu masuk bagi lahirnya perlindungan nyata, terukur, dan menyeluruh terhadap awak kapal perikanan Indonesia. Selama bertahun-tahun, awak kapal perikanan domestik bekerja dalam kondisi rentan, mulai dari jam kerja yang panjang, keselamatan kerja yang minim, upah yang tidak layak, hingga lemahnya jaminan sosial dan perlindungan hukum.
SAKTI-Sulut views the ratification of ILO Convention No. 188 not merely as the formal adoption of an international instrument, but as a crucial gateway toward establishing concrete, measurable, and comprehensive protection for Indonesian fishery crew members. For many years, domestic fishery workers have labored under highly vulnerable conditions, including excessive working hours, inadequate occupational safety measures, unfair wages, weak social security protection, and limited legal safeguards.
Ketua Umum SP SAKTI-Sulut, Arnon Hiborang, menegaskan bahwa hingga saat ini Indonesia masih belum memiliki Undang-Undang khusus yang mengatur perlindungan awak kapal perikanan domestik secara komprehensif.
Chairman of SP SAKTI-Sulut, Arnon Hiborang, emphasized that Indonesia still lacks a specific law that comprehensively regulates the protection of domestic fishery crew members.
“Ratifikasi KILO 188 harus menjadi momentum pembenahan total sistem perlindungan awak kapal perikanan domestik. Negara tidak boleh lagi membiarkan adanya kekosongan hukum yang menyebabkan pekerja perikanan terus menjadi korban eksploitasi dan ketidakadilan,” tegasnya.
“The ratification of ILO Convention No. 188 must become a momentum for a total reform of the protection system for domestic fishery crew members. The state can no longer allow legal gaps that continue to expose fishery workers to exploitation and injustice,” he stated.
Menurut SAKTI-Sulut, lahirnya Undang-Undang Khusus Perlindungan Awak Kapal Perikanan Domestik merupakan kebutuhan mendesak. Undang-undang tersebut harus mengatur secara jelas mengenai hubungan kerja, standar upah, jam kerja, keselamatan dan kesehatan kerja (K3), jaminan sosial, mekanisme pengawasan kapal, hingga penyelesaian perselisihan bagi awak kapal perikanan.
According to SAKTI-Sulut, the establishment of a Special Law on the Protection of Domestic Fishery Crew Members has become an urgent necessity. Such legislation should clearly regulate employment relationships, wage standards, working hours, occupational safety and health (OSH), social security, vessel inspection mechanisms, and dispute resolution procedures for fishery workers.
Selain itu, SAKTI-Sulut juga menyoroti masih kuatnya ego sektoral antara Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan dan Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan dalam penanganan persoalan awak kapal perikanan. Akibatnya, banyak kasus pelanggaran hak awak kapal yang tidak tertangani secara maksimal karena lemahnya koordinasi antarinstansi, baik di tingkat pusat maupun daerah.
In addition, SAKTI-Sulut highlighted the continuing sectoral ego and lack of coordination between the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in addressing issues concerning fishery crew members. As a result, many violations of workers’ rights remain inadequately addressed due to weak coordination among government institutions at both the national and regional levels.
SAKTI-Sulut berharap ratifikasi KILO 188 dapat menjadi dasar untuk memperkuat sinergi antar kementerian dan lembaga, sehingga tidak ada lagi tumpang tindih kewenangan ataupun saling lempar tanggung jawab dalam perlindungan awak kapal perikanan.
SAKTI-Sulut hopes that the ratification of ILO Convention No. 188 will serve as a foundation for strengthening inter-ministerial and inter-agency cooperation, thereby eliminating overlapping authority and the tendency to shift responsibility in the protection of fishery workers.
“Perlindungan awak kapal perikanan tidak boleh terpecah oleh ego sektoral. Negara harus hadir dengan sistem perlindungan terpadu dari pusat sampai daerah. Kementerian Tenaga Kerja dan Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan harus memiliki langkah bersama dalam pengawasan dan penegakan hukum,” lanjut Arnon Hiborang.
“The protection of fishery crew members must not be fragmented by sectoral interests. The state must be present through an integrated protection system from the national to the regional level. The Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries must work together in supervision and law enforcement,” Arnon Hiborang further stated.
Di lapangan, awak kapal perikanan masih sering menghadapi berbagai persoalan serius seperti kecelakaan kerja di laut, pemotongan upah, tidak adanya perjanjian kerja yang jelas, hingga praktik perekrutan yang tidak manusiawi. Kondisi tersebut menunjukkan bahwa regulasi yang ada saat ini belum mampu memberikan perlindungan maksimal.
In practice, fishery crew members continue to face numerous serious issues, including workplace accidents at sea, unlawful wage deductions, the absence of clear employment agreements, and inhumane recruitment practices. These conditions demonstrate that the current regulatory framework has not yet provided adequate protection.
Melalui ratifikasi KILO 188, SAKTI-Sulut berharap pemerintah segera menyusun regulasi turunan yang berpihak kepada awak kapal perikanan serta melibatkan serikat pekerja dalam proses penyusunannya. Partisipasi organisasi pekerja dinilai penting agar kebijakan yang lahir benar-benar menjawab persoalan nyata yang dihadapi pekerja di lapangan.
Through the ratification of ILO Convention No. 188, SAKTI-Sulut urges the government to immediately formulate implementing regulations that genuinely favor fishery crew members and actively involve labor unions in the drafting process. The participation of workers’ organizations is considered essential to ensure that future policies effectively address the real challenges faced by workers in the field.
SAKTI-Sulut juga menyerukan kepada pemerintah daerah, syahbandar perikanan, pengawas ketenagakerjaan, serta seluruh pemangku kepentingan sektor perikanan untuk bersama-sama memastikan implementasi KILO 188 berjalan efektif dan tidak hanya berhenti pada tataran administratif.
SAKTI-Sulut also calls upon regional governments, fishery harbormasters, labor inspectors, and all stakeholders within the fisheries sector to work collectively in ensuring the effective implementation of ILO Convention No. 188, rather than allowing it to remain merely an administrative formality.
Ratifikasi KILO 188 harus menjadi awal perubahan besar dalam sektor perikanan Indonesia, di mana awak kapal perikanan tidak lagi dipandang sebagai pekerja kelas dua, melainkan sebagai tulang punggung industri perikanan nasional yang wajib mendapatkan perlindungan, penghormatan, dan keadilan.
The ratification of ILO Convention No. 188 must become the beginning of a major transformation within Indonesia’s fisheries sector, where fishery crew members are no longer treated as second-class workers, but recognized as the backbone of the national fisheries industry who deserve protection, dignity, and justice.
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