What is worker voice and why is it so important? 

Whilst ASC is already setting some of the most robust standards in the seafood farming industry, both on environmental and social issues, we are also always working to improve and expand our impact.

A key part of continuing to improve the wellbeing of employees on seafood farms is by ensuring their voices are heard and they are engaged in decision making. This concept is referred to as “worker voice and engagement”, an essential component to establishing fair labour relations. 

The importance of worker voice for a good working environment is indicated by its inclusion in international law, such as article 23 of the Universal declaration of human rights or as a fundamental principle of human rights at work in the ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Worker voice is defined as “the ability of workers to come together, collectively articulate their demands, and seek better terms and conditions of work”. In simple terms, worker voice means that employees are being heard and their needs are accounted for, they are well represented, feel confident to speak out and are able to influence the decisions that affect their working conditions. When workers are empowered, they can improve the conditions of their workplace in many ways, such as better wages, more benefits like holiday and skills training or improved health and safety. It is not only workers who are safer and happier; companies can also benefit from engaging workers in decision making, seeing benefits like improved productivity, lower turnover, higher trust and earlier identification of risks and problems. 

Effective worker voice goes beyond just being heard, rather their needs and perspectives must be genuinely taken into account in decision making. This can be achieved through the rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining i.e., that workers are able to form and participate in unions or worker organisations and negotiate on the terms of their employment.  

The six key components to worker voice: 

There are 6 key elements necessary to achieve effective worker voice, by upholding these criteria, power imbalances at work can be addressed and workers are better able to advocate for themselves and improve their life at work.  

Elect: Workers democratically elect their leaders without interference from the government or employers. They have the right to join or form unions or worker organisations to strengthen their collective bargaining power. 

Represent: All workers have their needs fully represented. This includes being informed about their employment conditions and rights, ensuring they can engage in decision-making and bargaining. Elected leaders are accountable to the workers, amplifying their voices and advocating for their collective causes. 

Include: Worker organisations and their leadership are inclusive, representing the diverse perspectives and needs of the entire workforce. This requires fair representation and participation from marginalised groups, considering differences like economic status, race, religion, gender, or migrant status. 

Protect: Workers are protected from retaliation when voicing concerns. They have access to safe, anonymous complaint mechanisms and are shielded from any form of harassment, discrimination, or threats, including job loss, violence, or deportation. 

Enable: Employers enable workers to exercise their voice by providing the necessary resources, space, and time for union activities. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure workers are informed and trained about their rights and have access to all necessary information to engage in worker voice and activities. 

Empower: Formal structures inside and outside the workplace support worker empowerment through legitimate, equitable, and transparent grievance mechanisms. Workers are protected by labour laws and have the ability to pursue lawful actions, such as submitting judicial complaints or engaging in strikes. Employers provide and train workers on internal grievance mechanisms for filing complaints and accessing remediation. 

How the ASC empowers worker voice 

The ASC recognises the importance of worker voice and engagement and is working towards achieving worker voice through our standard requirements. The ASC requirements align with the principles of effective worker voice, which can be seen in the social responsibility chapters of the standards and audit guides and cover the following dimensions:  

• Ensuring that employees are aware of their rights and encouraged.
• The freedom for employees to join trade unions or informal associations to bargain collectively about their working conditions.
• Mechanisms at farms and feed mills through which employees can speak up about grievances or when change is necessary.
  

In addition, ASC is developing projects to capacity build and empower workers: 

• Options for external grievance mechanisms that are independent of the farm or feed mill.  

• How aquaculture workers can influence ASC’s standard setting processes and programme development. 
  

ASC is actively seeking collaborations on this topic and welcomes inquiries from worker or human rights organisations and other NGOs. Please contact us:

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