A landmark ruling by a federal judge in California has allowed a group of Indonesian fishermen to move ahead with a lawsuit against one of the biggest seafood brands in the U.S., alleging forced labor and abuse on the company’s fishing vessels.
The court order issued last week rejected an attempt by Bumble Bee Foods to dismiss the case, moving the fishermen a step closer to a jury trial.
“I’m actually in tears. I am happy and overwhelmed,” Muhammad Syafi’i, one of four Indonesian fishermen suing Bumble Bee, said in a press release from Greenpeace USA, which has been providing legal support to the workers. “This gives me hope for justice for me and my fellow plaintiffs as we struggle for justice and change for the better. Our fight and sacrifice are not in vain in order to get justice for all of the fishers. I remain steadfast, strong, and enthusiastic.”
In a legal complaint filed in March in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, four fishermen from rural Indonesia accused Bumble Bee of profiting from years of abuse aboard long-line vessels that supplied albacore tuna to the San Diego-based company. The workers said that after being recruited for jobs at sea, they were subjected to physical abuse, provided inadequate food, denied medical treatment and forced to work on little to no sleep.
