sb10 english inside

InternationalTransportWorkers’ Federation no. 24/2010

Seafarers’Bulletin

Engli

sh

PIRACYNotalwaysahappyending

NEWRIGHTSWhattheMaritimeLabourConventionmeansforyou

The ITF’s activities in the maritime industry are

spearheaded by the campaign by seafarers’ and dockers’

unions around the world against the transfer of ships to

flags of convenience (FOCs) to evade national laws and

conditions and trade unions.

The campaign has two sides: politically the ITF fights

with governments and international bodies to ensure that

there is a “genuine link” between the owner of a ship and

the flag it flies; industrially ITF unions have fought to

establish acceptable minimum wages and social

standards on all FOC ships.

In effect, the unions seek to agree conditions which at

least reach the standards laid down by the ITF Fair

Practices Committee – the joint seafarer and docker body

which sanctions the FOC campaign. In recent years, the

ITF has negotiated an international collective agreement

with a large and growing group of ship operators within

the International Bargaining Forum, which provides

comparable standards but with more flexibility.

Seafarers who are hired to work on FOC ships are often

given strict instructions not to make contact with the ITF.

Some are made to sign contracts in which they promise

not to do so. There are even some employers who will sign

an ITF agreement and then defraud their crews by paying

lower wages – a practice known as double book-keeping.

FOC seafarers who have problems with their pay and

conditions, or any other grievance about the way they are

being treated, can either get in touch with the ITF directly

(see our addresses and numbers on page 21) or can

contact one of our inspectors based in ports around the

world (see map on centre pages and more details on the

reverse of the map).

TheITFflagofconveniencecampaignAhelpinghandforseafarers

www.itfseafarers.org

PatriceTerraz

QQQQQQQ

4-5 Vitalstatistics Theworld fleetandITFactivitiesanalysed

6-12 FlagofconveniencecampaignNewsof ITFsuccessesover thepastyear

13-16 PiracyNotalwaysahappyendingtothisworseningproblem

17-18 Dockers Thecampaignagainstcargohandlingbyseafarers

19-26 ITFinformationandadviceAneight-pagepulloutwithtips forseafarersandcontactdetails for ITF inspectorsaroundtheworld

27-32 MaritimeLabourConventionAbillof rights for theworld’sseafarers

33-35 ITFSeafarers’TrustDoyouwantwelfarecentrestostayopen? Ifso,makesureyouusethem

36-37 Ourwebsite ITFSeafarersgetsbiggerandbetter

38-42 EconomiccrisisExpertsassessthe impactof thedownturnonshippingandseafarers

Published in January2010bythe InternationalTransportWorkers’Federation (ITF),

49/60BoroughRoad,LondonSE1 1DR,UnitedKingdom

Telephone:+44 (20) 74032733

Fax:+44 (20) 73577871

Email:[email protected]

Website:www.itfglobal.org

Further copiesofSeafarers’Bulletin (published inEnglish,

Arabic, Chinese,German,Indonesian, Japanese,Polish,

Russian,Spanish,TagalogandTurkish)areavailable fromthe

ITFat theaboveaddress.

Cover photo:Paul Box/reportdigital.co.uk

ITFSeafarers’Bulletinno. 24/2010

Internationa

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isation/MCrozet

Reuters/Su

sana

Vera

1 Panama* 8,065 183.5 168.2 18

2 Liberia* 2,306 82.4 76.6 12

3 Bahamas* 1,446 46.5 43.7 15

4 Marshall Islands* 1,265 42.6 36.0 9

5 Singapore 2,451 39.9 36.3 9

6 HongKong (China) 1,371 39.1 35.8 11

7 Greece 1,498 36.8 35.7 22

8 Malta* 1,532 31.6 27.8 15

9 China 3,916 26.8 24.9 23

10 Cyprus* 1,016 20.1 19.0 13

11 Germany 961 15.3 12.9 21

12 UnitedKingdom 1,676 15.3 13.4 20

13 Norway (NISsecond register) 601 15.0 14.7 16

14 SouthKorea 3,001 14.1 13.1 25

15 Italy 1,588 13.6 13.0 23

16 Japan 6,316 13.6 12.8 16

17 UnitedStates 6,524 11.3 11.3 27

18 Denmark (DISsecond register) 470 10.1 9.0 16

19 Bermuda* (UnitedKingdom) 153 9.6 9.2 13

20 AntiguaandBarbuda* 1,195 9.5 8.6 10

Source: Lloyd’sRegisterofShipping. *Denotes flagof convenience.

4

Worldfleet:flagging-outtrendcontinuesTheworldmerchant fleet of vesselsof no less than 100gross tonnes at1 January 2009stoodat 99,741 shipstotalling830.7millionGT.Out of thatnumber around40per centwere flagof convenience (FOC) vessels –whoseowners ormanagers used flags otherthan their national registry.

Of the FOC vessels in theworldfleet, 48per cent are coveredbyanITF-approved agreement.

This flaggingout trend iscontinuingas canbe seen in the tableshowing thepercentageof the fleetsof the top five shipowning countriesthat havebeen flaggedout. Japaneseshipowners flag almost 90per cent ofvessels outside Japan.

The largest registry by vesselnumber is Panama; it has four timesasmany vessels as thenext largest,Liberia.


Vitalstatistics

1 Japan 3,720 120.6 92 Greece 3,064 101.0 163 Germany 3,522 76.5 94 China 3,499 59.4 205 UnitedStates 1,783 37.3 186 Norway 2,027 35.1 147 SouthKorea 1,235 29.2 168 UnitedKingdom 1,018 26.5 149 Denmark 917 24.2 1110 HongKong (China) 680 21.2 1211 Taiwan 631 19.5 1412 Singapore 876 17.8 1413 Italy 820 15.6 1514 Russia 2,073 13.8 2415 Canada 413 11.7 2116 India 564 10.3 1617 Turkey 1,163 10.0 1818 Malaysia 435 9.1 1519 Iran 211 8.3 1520 SaudiArabia 172 8.2 14

Source: Lloyd’sRegisterofShipping.

TOP 20 SHIPOWNING COUNTRIES

COMPARISON OF TOP FIVE SHIPOWNING COUNTRIESIN LAST THREE YEARS

2007 2008 2009

Country rank07/08/09

Shipownertonnage (m)

Flag fleettonnage (m)





Japan 2/1/1 99.8 12.8 110.0 12.8 120.5 13.5

Greece 1/2/2 100.6 32.0 103.3 35.7 100.9 36.8

Germany 3/3/3 62.1 11.4 69.2 12.9 76.4 15.3

China 4/4/4 44.9 23.5 54.3 24.9 59.4 26.8

United States 5/5/5 39.1 11.1 35.4 11.3 37.3 11.3

2007 2008 2009

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

0%

10%

PERCENTAGE OF FLEET FLAGGED OUT (TOP FIVE SHIPOWNING COUNTRIES)

Greece Japan Germany China United States

No.of Gross tonnage GT(m) Averageships (millions) 1January age

(over1o0gt) 2008 (ships)

TOP 20 FLAG FLEETS

Ranked by tonnage1 January 2009

No.of Gross tonnage Averageships (millions) age

(over1o00gt) (ships)

Ranked by tonnage1 January 2009

ITFSeafarers’Bulletin2010 5

� ITF inspectorsvisiteda totalof9,562vesselsduring2009.

� ITFagreementsonpayandconditionsweresigned in30countriesduring2009.

�The ITF flagof conveniencecampaignresulted ina totalofUS$30.9millionbeingrecovered inbackwagesandcompensation forcrewsduring2009.

�The ITFhas129 inspectors in theportsof45countriesaroundtheworld.

�During2009,seafaringmembersof ITF-affiliatedunionsandcrewsonflagof convenienceships tookindustrialaction insupportof the ITFcampaign in22countrieson fourcontinents.

�83per centof the inspectionscarriedoutby the ITFwereof flagofconveniencevessels (see listof FOCsonpage26),withspecialattention tothosevesselswithapoor record.

�Thenumberofseafarers coveredbyITFagreements in2009was263,000.

TheITFflagofconveniencecampaign


100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

NUMBER OF SEAFARERS COVERED BY ITF AGREEMENTS

2006 2007 2008 2009

193,325

209,950

232,946

263,000

35

30

25

20

15

10

0

5

BACK PAY RECOVERED (US$million)

2006 2007 2008 2009

Aswell assecuringbackpayowed tocrews, the ITF campaignalsohelpsseafarerswhohavebeenstrandedorabandoned.Picturedhere, thecrewof theSwiftSpindrift thank the ITF forarranging their repatriation fromLibya inOctober2009.Seepage12 fordetails.

QThe InternationalTransport Workers’Federation (ITF) is aninternational trade unionfederation of transporttrade unions,representing 41⁄2 milliontransport workers in 148countries. Founded in1896, it is organised ineight industrial sections:seafarers, railways, roadtransport, civil aviation,ports, inland navigation,fisheries and tourismservices. It representstransport workers atworld level and promotestheir interests throughglobal campaigning andsolidarity. The ITF is oneof 10 Global UnionFederations allied to theInternational TradeUnion Confederation(ITUC) and part of theGlobal Unions group.In

ternational Transport Workers’ Federation

ITF week of actionSuccess inSouth East AsiaThe ITF’s South East Asia week of action,held in the last week of November 2009,raised awareness in the region of the needto tackle rogue shipowners and theexploitation of seafarers. A total of 73vessels were inspected, seminars and apress conference were held in Thailand,national media attention was received inMalaysia and Indonesia, and solidarityactions were held in the Philippines andSingapore.

“Our coordinated flag of conveniencecampaign efforts in these regions havebecome much stronger and more strategicthis year because we had clear targets andobjectives,” said Junko Honma, ITF Tokyooffice staff, who coordinated this week ofaction.

A great example of hard work andcoordination was to get the Korean MarineTransport Company (KMTC) to sign ITF-approved agreements with the Federationof Korean Seafarers’ Unions (FKSU) forthree of their FOC vessels. The KMTC-ownedvessel KMTC Shanghaiwas inspected twice


Egyptians lead strikeaction in disputeover back payBy Aung Thu Ya, Seafarers’ Union of Burma

When the merchant vessel MichailArhangelos arrived in Laem Chabang Port inThailand on 24 June last year, its crewmembers had not been paid for four months.The ship’s operator, Sea Wind Maritime,blamed poor business. Fed up with thesituation, the crew went on strike and calledin the help of the ITF. Within a month, asettlement had been agreed and the crewreceived US$59,200 in back pay.

The Seafarers’ Centre of Sriracha Seaportin Chonburi Province, Thailand, called the ITFrepresentative in Bangkok, Aung Thu Ya. Hewas told that the International Seafarers’Assistance Network (ISAN) had asked forsomeone to visit the Michail Arhangelos tocheck out the situation.

Aung Thu Ya spoke to the third engineerand learned about problems relating towages, food, water and basic ship safety. Onboard there was an international crew ofseafarers, including two Russians, oneIndian, one Peruvian, six Bangladeshis, eightEgyptians, two Greeks and three Burmese.

The ITF representative called the ITF Tokyooffice and the ship’s operator, based inPiraeus, Greece. The operator blamed theemployees, especially the Egyptianseafarers. He said that the crew’s wages hadnot been paid because of lack of business butadmitted that, even before these problems,he had not paid the crew.

By this time, the situation on the ship hadbecome so bad that strike action had brokenout, led by Egyptian members of the crew.The dispute was sparked off by the lack of ahatch cover for the loading bay.

After coordinated action between the ITFMaritime Operations Department, ITFAustralian inspector Matt Purcell and the ITFTokyo office, the operator softened hisaggressive stance and started to deal withthe real situation. He offered to settle thewages of seven of the Egyptian crew, gettingthem to sign off in Thailand. He also broughtforward the date to make final payments forthe remaining seafarers in Malaysia, the nextport of call.

In the meantime, Aung Thu Ya hadassembled the crew to discuss how to move

Flag of convenience campaign

www.itfseafarers.org ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010 7�

during the week, once in Singapore and thenagain in Indonesia. The ITF inspectorateteam in Indonesia, with local union support,was able to exert pressure on the companyto enter into talks.

“It’s a big step forward as we understandthat this is the first time KMTC have signedITF agreements with the FKSU,” said JohnWood, ITF FOC campaign adviser, who ledthe successful negotiations with thecompany.

There were other ongoing talks initiatedduring the week of action that wereexpected to conclude with the signing ofITF-approved agreements. A team ofJapanese ITF inspectors and the ITF-affiliated National Union of Seafarers ofPeninsular Malaysia opened negotiationswith Wilhelmsen Ship Management to signnational agreements for three Malaysian-flagged vessels. And the All-JapanSeamen’s Union was negotiating for ITFagreements for several Japanese-ownedFOC vessels.

Hanafi Rustandi, president of theIndonesian Seafarers’ Union (KPI) and ITFAsia/Pacific regional chair, commented:“During this South East Asia week ofaction, the ITF message of ‘No Place toHide’ for FOC vessels was reaffirmed. Wedo not tolerate any kind of exploitation ofseafarers, and what makes our campaign

successful is that our efforts are cross-regional and cross-sectional. Theseafarers in the regions are reassured thattheir safety and working conditions are ofgreat importance to the ITF and they cancontact the ITF for assistance in confidenceanytime.”

The success of the week was helped bycooperation from all the ITF-affiliatedunions and ITF inspectors in the South EastAsia and East Asia regions.

“We do not tolerate anykind of exploitation ofseafarers, and whatmakes our campaignsuccessful is that ourefforts are cross-regional and cross-sectional.

”

Above: The ITF and friends fly the flag for actionin South East Asia.

8 ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010 www.itfseafarers.org

ITF week of actionBaltic ship chasehighlightsimportance ofdockers’ helpBy Dieter Benze, Maritime Division, ver.di,Germany

Last year the ITF went further than usualduring its annual week of action in theBaltic.

Normally in September, seafarers’ unionsfrom all 10 Baltic countries take part in avariety of events up and down the Balticcoast. But this time, on discovering a ship,the Deneb, whose ITF agreement had beenterminated, the union chased the vessel allthe way to Hamburg. There, with the supportof dockers who refused to load it, ITFrepresentatives persuaded the Deneb’sowners to sign new agreements. It alsoreminded the owners that the Deneb sailedunder the Antiguan flag, and ships underflags of convenience (FOCs) are onlyallowed to operate in the Baltic if they haveITF collective wage agreements.

This is how the story unfolded. On thesecond day of action, ITF colleagues on the

lock at Kiel-Holtenau in Germany spottedthe Deneb. It transpired that the ship’sGerman owners had ripped up the ITFcollective wage agreement for the vessel.The next morning an intrepid ITF action unit,based in Lübeck, went to Hamburg toinvestigate conditions on board.

They managed to reach the Deneb shortly

before it got under way. The Hamburgdockworkers had been informed of the ITF’svisit. Out of solidarity with the seafarers andin their own interests, they reject socialdumping – using workers from a countrywith weak or poorly enforced labourstandards and not adhering to Europeanstandards. Following the call from theirunion, the dockworkers suspended loadingof the vessel at the terminal even thoughonly eight crates remained to be taken onboard.

The owners, however, did not give in andtried to carry on as before, without renewingthe ITF agreement. They let the ITF unitknow that the crates would remain wherethey were, and the Denebwould move toBurchard Quay. It was only when the loadingof the ship was suspended there as well thatthe owners changed their minds and signed

a follow-on agreement, backdated to June2009. They also undertook to conclude ITFagreements for two further vessels.

The aim of the week of action is for theunions to gain a broad but detailed view ofthe living and working conditions of workerson board ship and in port and to further thework of the FOC campaign. ITF inspectors inall 10 Baltic states monitor ships sailingunder FOCs all year round. However, they canonly ever pick out a number of individualships. The advantage of the week of action isthat the ITF can visit almost all the ships inthe Baltic ports, wherever they happen to be.

It is important and helpful to the ITFcampaign to hold such a week of actionevery year. This year’s slogan was “UnitedWe Stand”, and the success with the Denebis just one proof of the ITF’s ability to putunity into action.

ITF affiliate ver.di getsinvolved in the Balticweek of action.

“When the loading of theship was suspended, theowners changed theirminds and signed anagreement. They alsoundertook to conclude ITFagreements for twofurther vessels.

”

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010 9



matters forward, while keeping everyonesafe and sound – a concern, because theoperator had made threats against the crew.The ITF representative urged the crew to be“united, disciplined and peaceful in everyaction they should take”.

The seafarers’ contract of employmentstipulated there should be no unioninvolvement or any strike action by workers.But the extent to which the crew were beingexploited meant that they decided to risk astrike anyway. With poor working conditions,no regular salary payments and insufficientfood and water, they had nothing to lose.

Aung Thu Ya tried to convince the crew thatthe operator would keep his promises. Butnearly all of them had lost faith. Eventually anagreement was reached. The crew would stoptheir strike as soon as the operator agreed topay their outstanding wages in full andarrange for their flights back home.

After further negotiations the operatorsent a representative to the ship who cameon board on 20 July 2009. Aung Thu Ya talkedto the crew again and gave the representativetheir collective decisions. He said he wouldpay the full wages and tickets home only forseven Egyptians. Aung Thu Ya protested thatthis constituted unfair treatment for the othercrew members. After bargaining for a while,the operator’s representative agreed to sign acontract with the Bangladeshi crew, sayinghe would pay their wages and that they couldsign off in Malaysia.

To their satisfaction, the Egyptian seafarers

got all their wages, amounting to US$36,500,and e-tickets for their passage home. Theyleft the following day. The Bangladeshi andBurmese seafarers also accepted the termsoffered and received back pay of US$22,700,agreeing to the Malaysia sign off. TheBurmese chief officer told Aung Thu Ya thatwhen the ship arrived in port and the cargowas unloaded, all these agreements werehonoured, leaving the men to sign off beforethe ship sailed on to Somalia.

One of the Michail Arhangelos crew wroteto Aung Thu Ya, thanking the ITF for its work.Aung Thu Ya said: “I’m pleased that theirstory ended peacefully and I can’t help butadmire their collective effort to fight for theirrights. But to change the situation in thefuture, I hope that they join their respectivetrade unions.”

Bangladeshiseafarers winlandmark case inChinese portBy Dongli Hur, ITF Maritime OperationsDepartment, London

Ting Kam-Yuen, the head of the ITF flag ofconvenience office in Hong Kong, has settleda complicated dispute between seafarers onthe Saikat Wind and its Bangladeshi owners.He has also recovered a total of U$164,893 inwages. The vessel, sailing under the flag ofTogo, was manned by a crew of 13 seafarersfrom Bangladesh. Before the ITF becameinvolved, the crew had not been paid formany months. Some of them had beenwithout wages for as long as 14 months.

The Saikat Windwas anchored outside thesmall Chinese port of BeiHai. When the crewmade representations to the local courtabout their conditions, the court refused todeal with the case or arrest the ship withoutany down-payment.

The local port state control simply statedthat this was an employment dispute andwould have nothing to do with it. Because theowner continued to supply basic provisions,the crew could not send out an SOS. To makematters worse, the owner in Bangladeshlaunched court proceedings against the crewmembers for disobeying orders. The amountclaimed by the owner matched precisely thewages owed to the crew.

Kam-Yuen demonstrated his excellent

negotiating skills and extensive experience indealing with seafarers’ employmentdisputes. Not only did he manage to get alocal Chinese lawyer to work for the crew on acontingency basis, but he also managed topersuade the BeiHai court to waive the down-payment requirement, leading to the ship’sarrest.

This victory offers some hope for Chineseseafarers who often have to work withoutprotection and in poor conditions. Itrepresents a huge success and an importantbreakthrough for seafarers around the world.

ITF steps in as crewfaces starvation inKoreaBy Hye Kyung Kim, ITF Coordinator, Korea

In April 2009, the ITF received a report abouta vessel at Pyungtaek Port in South Korea.One of its nine crew members called, sayingthere were no provisions or fresh water. Thecrew had not been paid and had lost contactwith the owner, Oriental DevelopmentCompany in Dalian, China.

The ship had been arrested by a third partyin March after its cargo had been damaged.

The ITF tried to contact the owner withoutsuccess. The Chinese embassy in Seoulrefused to help, saying that the Koreansneeded to deal with any problems related tounpaid wages, supply of provisions and freshwater as they had arrested the ship.

The inspector visited the crew to start legalproceedings for unpaid wages andrepatriation. Meanwhile, ITF Coordinator HyeKyung Kim spoke with ITF maritimeoperations and the Chinese embassy to try toresolve the situation.

When the owner finally agreed to meet theITF, they still refused to settle the case. Theirmain concern was the ship, not the crew. Theyrefused to supply food or fresh water, or evento meet the crew.

The crew told the ITF they were starving, sofood, provisions and fresh water to the valueof US$250 were provided by the union. Theshipowner visited Korea several times, buttook no action and offered no assistance. Sothe inspectorate decided to repatriate theseafarers, rather than wait for the legalproceedings to be concluded.

Therefore, in discussion with the crew and

�

�

“This victory offers somehope for Chineseseafarers who often haveto work withoutprotection and in poorconditions.

”

Dong Sik Bang, president of the Federation ofKorean Seafarers’ Unions (FKSU), the ITFdecided to bear the repatriation costs of thenine crew members. Seven of the ninedecided to go home, while the master andwiper stayed on board.

It will not be easy to get the crew’s unpaidwages. The ITF is now awaiting the outcomeof the legal action.

ITF wins wages forseafarers strandedin BritainFourteen crew members of a Maltese-registered containership, Believer, have wona settlement of €65,000 (US$97,740). BritishITF inspector Tommy Molloy negotiated thedeal after the owner, Skips Christine, wasmade insolvent when its bank terminated itscredit line. Four men left the vessel withoutreceiving any payment but 10 others – ninePoles and one Russian – remained on boardin an effort to recover their outstandingwages.

After intensive talks, Liverpool-basedMolloy reached an agreement that all thecrew should be paid for the month ofSeptember. He also secured two months’basic wages in compensation for earlytermination of the crew’s contracts. This is inline with the total crew cost (TCC) ITFagreement covering the vessel.

Molloy also negotiated a short-termcontract at agreed rates for the seafarers tosail the Believer to Gdansk under newoperators, Vestland Marine, a Polish-basedfirm.

The seafarers received the money despitetactics to delay payment. At one stage Molloyarrived on board to find a bunker bargealongside. The vessel was about to discharge

bunkers that had previously been placed onboard by the charterer. The master told himhe had received “instructions” from thebank’s broker to discharge them in order toavoid arrest of the vessel.

Molloy called a meeting with the crew, whodecided they did not have to follow the“instructions” of someone who did notemploy them. They did not want to dischargethe bunkers without knowing who was goingto pay their wages. So the barge was sentaway. When a lawyer acting for the charterercalled Molloy to ask why the crew had goneon strike, he pointed out that the crew couldnot be on strike if they did not have anemployer.

On another occasion the broker tried toconvince the crew to sail to Norway wherethey would be paid on arrival. The crew,however, could not understand why thecharterer and the port could be paid prior todeparture, while they had to wait until theship arrived in Norway. They took the adviceof the ITF and declined the broker’s offer.

Fortunately a new buyer was found for the

vessel fairly quickly and the crew did not haveto resort to judicial arrest to recover thewages they were owed. Nor did they have topay any legal costs. It is important that a crewin this situation involves the ITF at an earlystage in order to protect their interests.

The ITF unions in Norway and Poland alsoplayed a part in ensuring matters endedsatisfactorily for all the seafarers involved.

Ship held for 20 daysin Germany for non-payment of wagesThe ITF has recouped over €39,000(US$56,000) for a crew who was owed nearlyfour months in back wages. It has alsoaddressed appalling working conditions.

Ukrainian seafarers called on the ITF forhelp when their ship, the Kramatorsk, was inFlushing port in the Netherlands. The ITFwent on board with two inspectors from portstate control (PSC). As well as unpaid wages,they discovered a lack of proper workingequipment and mattresses in a poorcondition.

The company said it was unable to arrangecash payments in a short space of time. Thecrew agreed to sail the vessel to the next portof call, Bremen, where the outstandingmoney would be paid to crew members whowere signing off.

Bremen is overseen by the ITF Coordinatorin the Netherlands and Germany, RuudTouwen. When the Ukrainian-flaggedKramatorsk arrived in port, the PSC wasinformed and it carried out a furtherinspection. The ITF Coordinator spoke to thePSC inspectors about the outstanding wagesand they agreed these should be included ina list of the vessel’s deficiencies. In all, 22were found and these resulted in the vesselbeing detained in port for some 20 days.

As well as the non-payment of wages, thecrew had problems with the attitude andbehaviour of the ship’s master. For example,there were serious safety concerns about theliferafts, which could not be lowered properly.The master paid little attention to thissituation and when questioned said that, inhis opinion, there was no problem. He wasgenerally uncooperative, arguing that thecrew had signed contracts stating they wouldnot receive wages in the first two months ofwork and therefore had no right to complain.

In the end, all the deficiencies were

�



“The crew could notunderstand why thecharterer and the portcould be paid prior todeparture, while theyhad to wait until the shiparrived in Norway.

”

Crew from theBeliever, who wonthe pay settlementwith ITF help.

rectified and the vessel left port. But notbefore wages totalling US$56,000 were paidto the crew.

Turkish seafarerswin back wages inPanamaSeventeen Turkish seafarers who wererepatriated in April last year have won theirclaim for back wages following several monthsof legal wrangling.

The workers on board the Mevlut Dov, aPanamanian-flagged vessel, were abandonedin Port Cristóbal in Panama after it suffered amechanical breakdown on route from Rio deJaneiro in Brazil to the Peruvian port of Callao.The vessel was anchored in November 2008.The Turkish seafarers were subsequently left onboard for months in poorly ventilated cabins,surviving on food provided by the ITFinspectorate in Panama and ITF-affiliatedPanamanian unions; they also helped to coverthe costs of the seafarers’ repatriation.

Following the intervention of ITF inspectorLuis Fruto and lawyer Olmedo Arrocha, thematter was taken to the second maritime courtof Panama, where it was agreed that the vesselwould be sold and the seafarers’ wages paidfrom the proceeds.

In November 2009, approximatelyUS$160,000 in wage arrears was finally sent toTurkey.

Luis Fruto said: “The new Panamaniangovernment of president Ricardo Martinelli andthe current administration of the PanamaMaritime Authority wanted to cooperate toensure that Panamanian-flagged ships respectthe labour rights of seafarers. In addition, theauthority, under directions from the port andseafarers, requested that the seafarers’ welfarecommittee and the ITF inspectorate be allowedfree entry into Panama’s ports.”

Russian crew battlesfor the money owedby ownerFive stranded Russian crew members werepaid wages they were owed of €35,000(US$50,390), thanks to the efforts ofNetherlands ITF Coordinator Ruud Touwen.

The men had been abandoned on their ship,the Mike, in the port of Duisburg in Germanyby the vessel’s owners. At that point they wereowed €19,000 (US$27,350).

Touwen made a proposal to the men onbehalf of their union: the owners were willingto pay 40 per cent of the claim as a cashadvance plus a ticket to their homedestination. The crew was advised to sail thevessel to the Netherlands where the unioncould assist them in arresting the vessel and insending it to public auction in Rotterdam.

The crew was told this could all be organisedthe following week. But the seafarers wereworried about delaying payment any furtherand decided that they wanted to receive alltheir money upfront. They engaged their ownlawyer, but failed to get an agreement forimmediate payment.

The ITF got involved again. Touwen startedto negotiate once more with the owners andmanagers of the vessel. By this time the claimhad grown to €42,000 (US$60,430), includinglawyers’ fees.

Long discussions took place and finally asettlement was reached, but out of the€35,000 they received the crew had to pay fortheir own tickets home, as well as the lawyers’fees that had been incurred. This time theRussian crew accepted the settlement and allwent home.

ITF helps repatriateshipwrecked crew inIndiaFollowing intervention by the ITF, 26 seafarersrescued from a cargo ship that sank off Orissa,India, were repatriated after they were

stranded for two months while the incidentwas investigated.

The crew of the Mongolian-owned BlackRose– 17 Bangladeshis, three Russians andsix Ukrainians – were left in Paradip, Orissa,after their vessel sank on 9 September 2009.The Ukrainian chief engineer died in theincident. The ITF intervened to aid the crewafter they were stranded awaiting officialclearance from the shipping ministry.

The Indian Maritime Trade Union helped thecrew to recover back pay owed.

Captain Sergei Kamarov said: “We arehappy to get home. We thank the ITF andimmigration department for their help.” Thecrew were repatriated on 10 November 2009.

ITF wins case forseafarers in Ukrainewithout a contractIn March 2009, ITF representatives reachedan agreement with the Turkishowner/managers of the Lotus. Theagreement ensured the payment ofoutstanding wages and a ticket home for oneof the seafarers, even though none of themen on board had written contracts of anykind.

Seafarers should always press for ITF-approved collective bargaining agreements.But sadly, for Eastern European, Syrian andsome Asian seafarers, it is common not tohave a contract. Because there was nothingin writing, the ITF was in a weak positionwhen talks started. However, the crewremained steadfast throughout the

11ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010

�www.itfseafarers.org

Crew members on board the Mevlut Dov in Port Cristóbal, Panama. The local ITF inspector arrangeddeliveries of food and water.

negotiations. The ITF inspector in Ukraine, Nataliya

Yefrimenko, first received a call from the crewof the Lotus, a vessel chartered in Ukraine, on22 March. As the Lotuswould not leave portuntil the next day, there was time to have alook at its condition and begin negotiationswith the company.

The ship had been detained because ofsome deficiencies found on board. Six out of11 crew members said they would refuse towork if the company kept failing to fulfil itsobligations towards them. The wage levelthat had been verbally agreed with the ownerprior to joining the vessel was far less thanthe International Labour Organisation (ILO)recommended minimum.

Despite this, when the first feedback fromthe Turkish owners/managers was received,the wage payments suggested were evensmaller. Six seafarers insisted on beingreplaced and repatriated because thecompany had breached their employmentagreement, having failed to pay their wagesbetween December 2008 and February 2009.

The Ukrainian charterers became involvedin the discussions and this provedproductive. Only five days after the crew hadmade its initial call, an agreement betweenthe seafarers and the company was reached.It undertook to arrange the final payment andrepatriation of one seafarer from Ukraine. Italso agreed to pay, in cash, the wages owedto the other five seafarers for work donebetween December 2008 and March 2009.This would be based on the ILO’srecommended wage scale. A further five

seafarers agreed to remain on board anddeliver the vessel to Istanbul where theywould be replaced by a Turkish crew.

The cost of repatriation of the six whocomplained was included in the sum agreedand paid in Ukraine. To avoid attempts by thecompany to claw back the money, almost allthese funds were sent home to their familiesbefore the vessel embarked for Turkey.

Nataliya Yefrimenko said: “So theseafarers received more than they expected,the owners learned the lesson that the lack ofa contract duly signed by both parties is notalways in their favour and I hope theseafarers themselves learnt an importantlesson from the situation.”

Repatriated after 13 months strandedin TripoliThe 13-month ordeal of the crew of the SwiftSpindriftcame to an end in October 2009 whenthe ITF succeeded in organising theirrepatriation to their home in Burma. They hadbeen stranded off the Libyan port of Tripoli formore than a year.

Success in persuading the owners to fund therepatriation was achieved through global actioninvolving unions and ITF representatives in sixcountries.

For a full year, the crew believed theassurances of their captain. But eventually theydecided to contact the ITF for help.

By then they were desperate, especially aftertheir wages were stopped during the last sixmonths. Water and basic provisions wererunning low and for much of the time the vesselhad not been allowed to berth, leaving the crewwith only limited contact with the outside world.

Their plight was the result of a disputebetween various charter parties.

As a flag of convenience ship, the owners andmanagers of the Swift Spindriftwere difficult totrace, although they appeared to haveconnections with Grace Lines operating out ofNew York and Delhi.

Coordinated by staff at the ITF’s London headoffice, members of the ITF worldwide teamswung into action, with US-based ITFCoordinator Rick Esopa approaching GraceLines in New York and Mahendra Sharma, of theITF Delhi Office, contacting the company’srepresentatives in India.

But the key to the success of the ITF effortwas to get representatives into Tripoli to talk

with the local maritime authorities and unions.The ITF-affiliated Spanish union ELA agreed

to allow Bilbao-based ITF inspector MohamedArrachedi to travel to Libya. Additionally, BilalMalkawi, of the ITF regional office in Amman inJordan, made contact with leaders of the ArabFederation of Transport and CommunicationWorkers, who provided important support.

Arrachedi spent 22 days in Tripoli,negotiating with and between local lawyers, theship’s agents and Libyan maritime authorities toenable the crew to be repatriated. He evenobtained approval for the ship to be berthed forthe first time in months.

Meanwhile, the ITF London secretariatbrokered arrangements with lawyers in NewYork and London representing the SwiftSpindrift’s owners to pay repatriation costs.

Striking crewreceives help fromAfrican affiliateThe determination of Turkish crew memberson the Bereket to secure justice paid off inOctober 2009 when they received US$46,540in back pay and were repatriated. Theirsuccess was also made possible bycooperation between the ITF inspector inTurkey and the ITF-affiliated TanzaniaSeamen’s Union (TSU).

Anchored off Zanzibar, the 14 seafarersdecided to go on strike after the shipowner,Uzaklar Denizailik Sanayi Ve Ticaret, refused topay them the three month of wages owed tothem following attempts by Turkish inspectorMuzaffer Civelek to open negotiations on thematter.

The company had earlier threatened todismiss the crew for contacting the ITF AfricanRegional Office in Kenya.

The crew also contacted AbdulrahmanChande of the TSU. He immediately tipped offthe local port state control authorities. Aninspection was carried out and the vessel wasarrested on the grounds that it was“undermanned due to her crew’s unwillingnessto continue their employment because of awages dispute”.

The inspectors added that the ship would notbe allowed to sail until the dispute was resolvedand the crew had received their wages.

With the Bereketunable to move, theowners finally agreed to talk to Civelek andthe back pay settlement and repatriationwere agreed.

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 201012 www.itfseafarers.org


“The seafarers receivedmore than they expectedand the owners learnedthe lesson that the lackof a contract duly signedby both parties is notalways in their favour.

”

�


Somali pirates captured byFrench forces in the Gulf ofAden are paraded at thenorthern port town of Bosassoin November 2009. The Frenchnavy handed over 12 piratescaptured in the Indian Oceanto the authorities in the semi-autonomous northern Somaliregion of Puntland.


Who is looking after the seafarers affected by piracy?BRENDA KIRSCHexamines the issues.

Reuters/Abd

iqan

i Hassan

Piracy

Seafarerspay the price

14 ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010

P iracy is nothing new, and seafarers havebeen vulnerable to such attacksthroughout the history of seafaring. But

there have been dangerous developments in thelast few years, primarily in the waters of the Gulfof Aden, the horn of Africa and even out into theIndian Ocean.

With the destabilisation of Somalia as a viablelaw-abiding regime, piracy has flourished as amajor industry in the semi-autonomousPuntland region. Communities that live in direpoverty, that have seen their traditional fishingindustries go under to overfishing, that are notgoverned by any law or criminal justice system,and where there is ready access to weaponryhave given birth to a lucrative trade in piracy.

“The piracy off Somalia is a different problemfrom that we’ve seen in the Malacca Straits andSouth China Sea,” explains John Bainbridge,assistant secretary of the ITF seafarers’ section.

“Here we have a business – one that is makingmoney out of taking hostages, and that hasupped the stakes.”

The growth of piracyThe problem of piracy escalated in 2008, whenalmost 100 ships and 500 hostages were takenby Somali pirates. Despite international concern,and the presence of a multinational naval taskforce to patrol the Gulf of Aden, the number ofattacks in the region continued to rise during2009. There has also been growing evidence thatthe pirates have been prepared to venture evenfurther, including into the Red Sea and outtowards the Seychelles and down the east coastof Africa.

By September 2009, the InternationalMaritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre(PRC) – the body that monitors piracy worldwide– reported that the figures for the year so farshowed that piracy attacks had alreadyexceeded the total for 2008. Somali pirates hadmade 148 attacks – 97 in the Gulf of Aden, 47 offthe coast of Somalia and four off Oman. Althoughmany attacks were thwarted by evasive action orintervention by the coalition task force, Somalipirates still managed to hijack 32 ships andkidnap 532 hostages. Most worryingly, fourseafarers were killed as a result of incidents.

Somali pirates are prepared to take the risksbecause the rewards are so high. According toAlex Kemp from Group 4 Security subsidiary NYAInternational, reported in Lloyd’s List, ransomdemands increased to US$5-$15 million in 2009,with average settlements of an estimated US$1.5to $1.7 million. The length of hijacks averaged 50-80 days or more in 2009.

Pirate attacks have also continued in otherwaters of the world – with indications that theglobal recession might have prompted a rise in


Reuters/Su

sana

Vera

A crew member (right) of the Spanish tuna fishing boat Alakrana is embraced by a relative on arrival atVictoria on the Seychelles island of Mahé in November 2009. Somali pirates freed the Alakrana, whichwas hijacked in October, and said a US$3.5 million ransom had been paid for the vessel and its crew.

this opportunist crime. Attacks have continued inthe South China Sea and Malaysian waters. Thelast two years have also seen attacks on shippingand personnel in the Niger Delta for politicalreasons, with insurgents seeking more benefitsfrom Nigeria’s lucrative oil industry.

After a wave of attacks and kidnappings, it nowlooks as if the problems in the Niger Delta arereceding, following the government’s release ofthe leader of the Movement for the Emancipationof the Niger Delta (MEND) in July 2009.

Protecting seafarersThe media spotlight has focused on the pirates.There has been less attention to the plight of theseafarers who suffer the most as victims of pirateand criminal attacks.

“Seafarers are not an expendable resource,”says John Bainbridge. If it takes a ransompayment to secure their freedom, then that isnecessary. “The most important objective is thesafety of the seafarer.”

Where possible, the ITF and the unionsinvolved rely on professional negotiators to dealwith the captor, while they deal with the familiesof members held hostage.

But winning their release can be just the startof continuing problems for seafarers who havebeen victims of piracy. Post-traumatic stressdisorder (PTSD) can be an ongoing debilitatingproblem, affecting their health, employment andrelationships.

John Bainbridge says: “Because of the

casualised supply of labour to ships, it can beextremely difficult when they are released, asthey get no welfare back up or support. We don’tget information from the flag states aboutincidents, and we can’t track the guys down andgive them support. This is a big problem, as theduty of care is not fully met.”

It seems that piracy will be a perennialproblem, but the specific situation in Somaliacould be tackled in the long-term throughinternational measures to bring stability to thatcountry.

Solving the problemIn the short-term, however, seafarers will need tobe on their guard when sailing through thedangerous waters off Somalia. There are somewho have called for armed personnel to be onboard ships sailing in these waters. This is a movethat the ITF rejects totally. “That would escalatethe situation and pose even greater risks toseafarers,” says John Bainbridge.

The ITF is aware that the vessels mostvulnerable to piracy – because they are slow,have a low freeboard and low manning – are mostlikely to be registered with flags of convenience.“That’s why we are trying to get them signed upto ITF or union agreements,” says JohnBainbridge. “Otherwise there’s nobody here tosupport the seafarers.”

� Brenda Kirsch is a London-based freelancejournalist.

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010 15www.itfseafarers.org

Piracy

The ITF Seafarers’ Section,having assessed the growingproblem of piracy in the Gulf ofAden, off the coast of Somaliaand now in the wider IndianOcean has determined that,save in exceptionalcircumstances, ships shouldnot transit the area. The risk ofattack is now so great thatputting seafarers in harm’sway amounts to a breach ofthe shipowner’s duty of care.

The exceptionalcircumstances relate to:�having close activeprotection from naval forces orbeing in a convoy which has anadequate naval escort; or� the ship can be classified aslow risk and has a proven levelof protection measures inplace.

The ITF also considers that

seafarers should suffer nodetriment from refusing totake ships into these high-riskareas. Seafarers have a rightto refuse to put themselves inharm’s way and the right to berelieved before the ship entersa high-risk area. The ITF callson flag states to upholdseafarers’ rights in this regard.

The ITF reaffirmed theposition that seafarers shouldnot be armed.

The seafarers call on thewider shipping industry tosupport this position and totake all measures to ensurethe protection of seafarers bynot putting them in harm’sway.Source: The above statementwas agreed by the ITFSeafarers’ Section in London,2009.

The ITF positionon piracy

“Armed personnel onboard ships wouldescalate the situationand pose even greaterrisks to seafarers.

”


Top: Crew members of the Spanishfishing boat Alakranawave afterSomali pirates freed them inNovember 2009.

When three Danish seafarerswere captured by Somali piratesin June 2007 they thought theywould never see their homeagain. For the seafarers, whowere members of the five crewon the Danish-owned DanicaWhite, being held hostage byhostile pirates was stressfulenough, but they suffered asmuch stress again from thedeafening silence with whichtheir plight appeared to betreated in their homeland.

Eventually freed after 89 days,two of the seafarers have sincepaid the price of their capturewith their livelihoods – theyhave not worked at sea since,such was the effect of the stressthey suffered.

Henrik Berlau, secretary of theDanish union 3F’s maritimeaffairs section, explains that theunion is still seekingcompensation for the hostages.While they received some minorindustrial accidentcompensation from the generalinsurance fund, the union hasbeen pursuing the company forits liability in the affair, and thenegligence of the master inallowing the piracy to takeplace. The union is currentlyengaged in an appeal on thisissue.

“The master did not take anyprecautions, there was nodedicated lookout, and he wasnot following InternationalMaritime Organisation

recommendations on avoidingpirate attack,” says Berlau.

The Danica Whitewas a slow-going ship only 200 miles off theSomali coast, he explains. “Webelieve the master’s lack ofinterest in safeguarding the shipand crew was gross negligence,and made them an easy targetfor pirates.”

He is especially angry with theshipowner: “The company hadsuch a bad reputation that theDanish Maritime Authoritywithdrew its document ofcompliance one month beforethe incident.” He says the ownerwas: “a bad company with a badreputation and a record of norespect for seafarers”.

Berlau also points to a failurein the marine insurance industry.Not only does ship insurance notcover the crew – only the shipand its cargo – but the industryprefers to abide by the maritimelaw which gives six monthsbefore a ship is considered atotal loss. “That gives them timeto negotiate for a cheaper dealwith the pirates before they haveto pay out insurance.”

He also blames the Danishgovernment for taking pride inits stance of not negotiating with“terrorists or pirates” – “that’san intolerable situation forseafarers” – as well as the policefor not keeping the familiesinformed.

“The crew felt that they hadbeen forgotten, and couldn’t

understand why their plight hadnot been in the media,” he says.“The foreign ministry asked usto keep a low profile, but whenthe master leaked details of theransom demand, we wentpublic.”

3F offered to pay all the moneyto get the crew out, but a ransomwas eventually settled and thecrew were released after threemonths.

Berlau is clear that theattitudes of the shippingindustry and marine insuranceneed to change so that seafarersare not held hostage for up to sixmonths, and that they getcompensation for the ordeal.

As for preventing attacks, hestresses the need for seafarersto follow the advice of theInternational MaritimeOrganisation and theInternational Maritime Bureau,and that shipowners shouldinvest in adequate deterrents,such as electric fences.

“The first 35 to 40 minutes ofan attack are critical, as that’sthe time to alert the outsideworld, seek protection and callthe naval task force.”

He also notes that althoughhis members suffered a terribleexperience, they were flownhome on a private jet and weretreated by counsellors. “Thatwas in Denmark – what aboutthe Filipinos who have beenvictims of piracy? They are in amuch worse situation.”

Suffering from silence: the Danica White hostages

“The first 35 to 40minutes of anattack are critical,as that’s the timeto alert theoutside world,seek protectionand call the navaltask force.

”


Above: Steve Biggs (left): ports are dangerousplaces and each uses a different method ofcargo handling.

Steve Biggs, docker, DP WorldSouthampton, Unite (UK)

“I have been doing this job for over 15years now, following in the footsteps

of my father and grandfather who were bothdockers. Like many other ports,Southampton has a great family tradition ofsons, fathers and brothers workingalongside each other.

When I first started in the docks I was anapprentice and was trained in all aspects ofdock work: padding, lashing, forklift driving,tug driving, straddle carrier driving and

crane driving. After my three years training Ibecame part of the core workforce with anestablished shift pattern and terms andconditions.

In Southampton the dockers have aroster, which determines which job they dofor each shift. The entire core workforce ismulti-skilled. We also receive health andsafety training from day one and are notallowed to carry out any task until we havecompleted the training courses and beenpassed out by our team of instructors.

Speaking outThe ITF regularlyreminds seafarersnot to handle cargo.We asked twodockers why itmatters so much.

�

Dockers

Reuters/Su

sana

Vera


Your 8-page pull-out guide

Dockers

It is very important that seafarers don’t dodockers’ work, as it would lead to job losses,redundancies and an increase in accidents.Ports are extremely dangerous places towork and each port uses a different methodof cargo handling.

It is essential that all dockworkers areaware of the safe system of work that theirport adopts, so that they can carry out theirduties using knowledge and expertise fromtheir training and experience. It would be adisaster for dockers in our port if seafarerswere to do our work. It could lead tocasualisation and an end to the traditionalwork we do.”

John Florio, wharfie, Patrick, MUA,Melbourne Branch

“I’ve been working here at thecontainer terminal part time

permanent (PGE) for five years. I hold a craneticket, foreman’s ticket and straddle ticket.I’m also one of the two PGE safetyrepresentatives. We have to do a five-day,Worksafe government-approved delegatecourse to become a rep.

That’s why it’s important thatdockworkers do dockworkers’ work. It’s ourjob. We’re trained to do it.

We had a ship sail the other day withoutthe lashing done – the MSC Krittika. That’sdangerous to dockworkers, seafarers, thepublic who use the harbour and ourenvironment. We had lashers on board readyto secure the last bay and they wereinstructed to get off the ship, that it wassailing.

At the end of the day, lives are at risk. Ifthe ship gets a nice big jerk from the tug,boxes can come off. Boxes can fall into thewater, onto the wharf or onto recreationalboats in the harbour.

There are a lot of risks. You can end upwith an environmental catastrophe, likewhen containers of ammonia nitrate cameoff the Pacific Venturer in March (2009) inheavy seas, putting a hole in the hull of theship and spilling 30 tonnes of heavy oil 20kilometres along our coastline.

It’s bad enough lashing on the dock, letalone in the open ocean. The instability isincredible, lifting up three high bars whenthe ship is moving. Seafarers have got atough job; let’s not make it any tougher.Dockworkers want to do the work and wewant to do it safely.”

�

“It is very important that seafarers don’t do dockers’work, as it would lead to job losses, redundancies andan increase in accidents.

”

Pho

tos: Patrice Te

rraz

Your 8-page pull-out guide

Contactinformationand advice

QA

Don’t start work on a ship without having awritten contract.

ANever sign a blank contract, or a contractthat binds you to any terms and conditions

that are not specified or that you are not familiarwith.

ACheck if the contract you are signing refersto a Collective Bargaining Agreement

(CBA). If so, make sure that you are fully aware ofthe terms of that CBA, and keep a copy of it alongwith your contract.

AMake sure that the duration of the contractis clearly stated.

ADon’t sign a contract that allows foralterations to be made to the contractual

period at the sole discretion of the shipowner.Any change to the agreed duration of thecontract should be by mutual consent.

AAlways ensure that the contract clearlystates the basic wages payable and make

sure that the basic working hours are clearlydefined (for example 40, 44 or 48 per week). TheInternational Labour Organisation states thatbasic working hours should be a maximum of 48per week (208 per month).

AMake sure that the contract clearlystipulates how overtime will be paid and at

what rate. There could be a flat hourly rate payablefor all hours worked in excess of the basic. Orthere may be a monthly fixed amount for aguaranteed number of overtime hours, in whichcase the rate for any hours worked beyond theguaranteed overtime should be clearly stated.The ILO states that all overtime hours should bepaid at a minimum of 1.25 x the normal hourly rate.

AMake sure that the contract clearly stateshow many days paid leave per month you

will get. The ILO states that paid leave should notbe less than 30 days per year (2.5 days percalendar month).

AMake certain that the payments for basicwages, overtime and leave are clearly and

separately itemised in the contract.

ANever sign a contract that contains anyclause stating that you are responsible for

paying any portion of your joining or repatriationexpenses.

ADon’t sign a contract that allows theshipowner to withhold or retain any

portion of your wages during the period of thecontract. You should be entitled to full paymentof wages earned at the end of each calendarmonth.

ABe aware that an individual employmentcontract will not always include details of

additional benefits. Therefore, try to obtainconfirmation (preferably in the form of a writtenagreement or contractual entitlement) of whatcompensation will be payable in the event of:�Sickness or injury during the contractualperiod�Death (amount payable to the next of kin)�Loss of the vessel�Loss of personal effects resulting from the lossof the vessel�Premature termination of the contract.

ADon’t sign a contract that contains anyclause that restricts your right to join,

contact, consult with or be represented by atrade union of your choice.

AEnsure that you are given and retain a copyof the contract you have signed.

ACheck that your contract states that youare entitled to the costs of your

repatriation.

ACheck the conditions for terminating yourcontract, including how much notice the

shipowner must give you to terminate yourcontract.

ARemember… whatever the terms andconditions, any contract/agreement that

you enter into voluntarily would, in mostjurisdictions, be considered legally binding.

The best guarantee of proper conditions of employment at sea is only to sign a contract drawn up inaccordance with an ITF-approved collective agreement. Failing that, here is a checklist to follow.

Look carefully before you sign: ITFadvice on your contract to work at sea

Internationa

l Lab

our O

rgan

isation/M Crozet

HEAD OFFICE49/60 Borough Road, LondonSE1 1DR, United KingdomTel: +44(0)20 7403 2733Fax: +44(0)20 7357 7871 Telex: 051 8811397 ITF LDN GEmail: [email protected]: www.itfglobal.org

AFRICAN REGIONAL OFFICEPO Box 66540, Nairobi, KenyaTel: +254(0)20 444 80 19Fax: +254(0)20 444 80 20Email: [email protected]

AFRICAN FRANCOPHONE OFFICE1036 Avenue Dimbdolobsom, 3rd floor ex immeuble CEAO,11 BP 832, Ouagadougou,Burkina FasoTel: +226(0)50 30 19 79Fax: +226(o)50 33 31 01Email: [email protected]

ARAB WORLD OFFICEPO Box 925875, Amman 11190,JordanTel/Fax: +962(0)6 569 94 48Email: [email protected]

ASIA/PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICETamachi Kotsu Building 3-2-22,Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0023, JapanTel: +81(0)3 3798 2770Fax: +81(0)3 3769 4471Email: [email protected]

ASIAN SUB-REGIONAL OFFICE12D College Lane, New Delhi110001, IndiaTel: +91(0)11 2335 4408/7423Fax: +91(0)11 2335 4407Email: [email protected]

EUROPEAN REGIONAL OFFICEEuropean Transport Workers’Federation (ETF), Galerie Agora,Rue du Marché aux Herbes 105, Boîte 11, B-1000 Brussels,BelgiumTel: +32(0)2 285 4660Fax: +32(0)2 280 0817Email: [email protected]

EUROPEAN SUB-REGIONALOFFICE21/1 Sadovaya Spasskaya, Office729, 107217 Moscow, RussiaTel: +7 495 782 0468Fax: +7 095 782 0573Email: [email protected] Website: www.itf.ru

INTERAMERICAN REGIONALOFFICEAvenida Rio Branco 26-11 Andar,CEP 20090-001 Centro, Rio deJaneiro, BrazilTel: +55(0)21 2223 0410/22332812Fax: +55(0)21 2283 0314Email: [email protected] Website: www.itf-americas.org

ITF inspectors

�Continued on reverse of map

QARGENTINABuenos Aires�Rodolfo VidalTel/Fax: +54(0)341 425 6695Mobile: +54(0)911 4414 5911Email: [email protected]�Roberto Jorge Alarcón*Tel/Fax: +54(0)11 4331 4043Mobile: +54(0)911 4414 5687Email: [email protected]

AUSTRALIAFremantle�Keith McCorristonTel: +61(0)8 9335 0500Fax: +61(0)8 9335 0510Mobile: +61(0)422 014 861Email: [email protected]�Matt PurcellTel: +61(0)3 9329 5477Fax: +61(0)3 9328 1682Mobile: +61(0)418 387 966Email: [email protected] Sydney�Dean Summers*Tel: +61(0)2 9267 9134Fax: +61(0)2 9267 4426Mobile: +61(0)419 934 648Email: [email protected]�Graham BraggTel: +61(0)7 4771 4311Fax: +61(0)7 4721 2459Mobile: +61(0)419 652 718Email: [email protected]

BELGIUMAntwerp�Joris De Hert*Tel: +32(0)3 224 3413Fax: +32(0)3 224 3449Mobile: +32(0)474 842 547Email: [email protected]�Marc Van NotenTel: +32(0)3 224 3419Fax: +32(0)3 224 3449Mobile: +32(0)475 775 700Email: [email protected]�Christian Roos Tel: +32(0)2 549 1103Fax: +32(0)2 549 1104Mobile: +32(0)486 123 890Email: [email protected]

BRAZILParanaguá�Ali ZiniTel/Fax: +55(0)41 3422 0703Mobile: +55(0)41 9998 0008Email: [email protected] de Janeiro �Luiz de Lima*Tel: +55(0)21 2516 4301Fax: +55(0)21 2233 9280Mobile: +55(0)22 9423 5315Email: [email protected]�Renialdo de FreitasTel/Fax: +55(0)13 3232 2373Mobile: +55(0)13 9761 0611Email: [email protected]

CANADAHalifax�Gerard BradburyTel: +1(0)902 455 9327Fax: +1(0)902 454 9473Mobile: +1(0)902 441 2195Email: [email protected]

Hamilton�Mike GivenTel: +1(0)905 227 5212Fax: +1(0)905 227 0130Mobile: +1(0)905 933 0544Email: [email protected]�Patrice CaronTel: +1(0)514 931 7859Fax: +1(0)514 931 0399Mobile: +1(0)514 234 9962Email: [email protected]�Peter Lahay*Tel: +1(0)604 251 7174Fax: +1(0)604 251 7241Mobile: +1(0)604 418 0345Email: [email protected]

CHILEValparaiso�Juan Villalón JonesTel: +56(0)32 221 7727Fax: +56(0)32 275 5703Mobile: +56(0) 9250 9565Email: [email protected]

COLOMBIACartagena�Miguel SánchezTel: +57(0)5 666 4802Fax: +57(0)5 658 3496Mobile: +57(0)3 10 657 3399Email: [email protected]

CROATIADubrovnik�Vladimir GlavocicTel: +385(0)20 418 992Fax: +385(0)20 418 993Mobile: +385(0)98 244 872Email: [email protected]�Predrag Brazzoduro*Tel: +385(0)51 325 343Fax: +385(0)51 213 673Mobile: +385(0)98 211 960Email: [email protected]�Milko KronjaTel: +385(0)22 200 320Fax: +385(0)22 200 321Mobile: +385(0)98 336 590Email: [email protected]

DENMARKCopenhagen�Morten BachTel: +45(0)33 36 13 97Fax: +45(0)33 91 13 97Mobile: +45(0)21 64 95 62Email: [email protected]

EGYPTPort Said�Talaat ElseifyTel/Fax: +20(0)66 322 3131Mobile: +20(0)10 163 8402Email: [email protected]

ESTONIATallinn�Jaanus KulvTel/Fax: +372(0)61 16 390Mobile: +372(0)52 37 907Email: [email protected]

FINLANDHelsinki�Simo Nurmi*Tel: +358(0)9 615 202 55Fax: +358(0)9 615 202 27Mobile: +358(0)40 580 3246Email: [email protected]�Kenneth BengtsTel: +358(0)9 615 202 58Fax: +358(0)9 615 202 27Mobile: +358(0)40 455 1229Email: [email protected]�Ilpo Minkkinen Tel: +358 (0)9 615 202 53Fax: +358 (0)9 615 202 27Mobile: +358 (0)40 728 6932Email: [email protected]�Jan ÖrnTel: +358(0)9 613 110Fax: +358(0)9 739 287Mobile: +358(0)40 523 3386Email: [email protected]

FRANCEDunkirk�Pascal PouilleTel: +33(0)3 28 66 45 24Fax: +33(0)3 28 21 45 71Mobile: +33(0)6 80 23 95 86Email: [email protected] Havre�François Caillou*Tel: +33(0)2 35 26 63 73Fax: +33(0)2 35 24 14 36Mobile: +33(0)6 08 94 87 94Email: [email protected]�Yves ReynaudTel: +33(0)4 91 54 99 37Fax: +33(0)4 91 33 22 75Mobile: +33(0)6 07 68 16 34Email: [email protected] Nazaire�Geoffroy LamadeTel: +33(0)2 40 22 54 62Fax: +33(0)2 40 22 70 36Mobile: +33(0)6 60 30 12 70Email: [email protected]ète�Stéphanie DanjouTel/Fax: +33(0)4 67 43 75 18Mobile: +33(0)6 27 51 35 78Email: [email protected]

GERMANYBremen�Susan LinderkampTel: +49(0)421 330 3333Fax: +49(0)421 330 3366Mobile: +49(0)151 1266 6006Email: [email protected]�Ulf ChristiansenTel: +49(0)40 2800 6811Fax: +49(0)40 2800 6822Mobile: +49(0)171 641 2694Email: [email protected]�Hartmut KruseTel: +49(0)381 670 0046Fax: +49(0)381 670 0047Mobile: +49(0)171 641 2691Email: [email protected]

GREECEPiraeus�Stamatis Kourakos*Tel: +30(0)210 411 6610 / 6604Fax: +30(0)210 413 2823Mobile: +30(0)69 77 99 3709Email: [email protected]

�Costas HalasTel: +30(0)210 411 6610 / 6604Fax: +30(0)210 413 2823Mobile: +30(0)69 44 29 7565Email: [email protected]

ICELANDReykjavik�Jónas GardarssonTel: +354(0)551 1915Fax: +354(0)552 5215Mobile: +354(0)892 7922Email: [email protected]

INDIACalcutta�Chinmoy RoyTel: +91(0)332 459 7598Fax: +91(0)332 459 6184Mobile: +91(0)98300 43094Email: [email protected]�K Sree KumarTel: +91(0)44 2522 3539Fax: +91(0)44 2526 3343Mobile: +91(0)44 93 8100 1311Email: [email protected]�Narain AdhikaryTel: +91(0)332 425 2203Fax: +91(0)332 425 3577Mobile: +91(0)94345 17316Email: [email protected]�Thomas SebastianTel: +91(0)484 233 8249 / 8476Fax: +91(0)484 266 9468Mobile: +91(0)98950 48607Email: [email protected]�Kersi ParekhTel: +91(0)22 2261 6951 / 6952Fax: +91(0)22 2265 9087Mobile: +91(0)98205 04971Email: [email protected]�Hashim SulaimanTel: +91(0)22 2261 8368 / 8369Fax: +91(0)22 2261 5929Mobile: +91(0)9819 969905Email: [email protected]�DM Stephen FernandoTel: +91(0)461 2326 519 / 2339 195Fax: +91(0)461 2311 668Mobile: +91(0)94431 59137Email: [email protected]�BV RatnamTel: +91(0)891 2502 695 / 2552 592Fax: +91(0)891 2502 695Mobile: +91(0)98481 98025Email: [email protected]

IRELANDDublin�Ken FlemingTel: +353(0)1 874 3735Fax: +353(0)1 874 3740Mobile: +353(0)87 647 8636Email: [email protected]

ISRAELHaifa�Michael ShwartzmanTel: +972(0)4 852 4289Fax: +972(0)4 852 4288Mobile: +972(0)544 699 282Email: [email protected]

ITALYGenoa�Francesco Di FioreTel: +39(0)10 25 18 675Fax: +39(0)10 25 18 683Mobile: +39(0)331 670 8367Email: [email protected]�Piero Luigi ReTel: +39(0)10 25 18 675Fax: +39(0)10 25 18 683Mobile: +39(0)335 707 0988Email: [email protected]

Contact one of our inspectors if you need help and youwork on either a flag of convenience ship or on aforeign-flag ship not covered by a union agreement. Ifan inspector is not available, contact the Actions Teamat ITF head office or your nearest ITF office (see left).

U

Durban+27(0)31 706 1433

Uza

Buenos Aires ++54(0)341 425 6695

Rosario +54(0)11 4331 4043

Santos +55(0)13 3232 2373 Rio de Janeiro +55(0)21 2516 4301

UU

U

U

U

U

ra

br

rch

co

pr

mex

Cartagena +57(0)5 666 4802

Los Angeles +1(0)562 493 8714

San Juan +1787(0)783 1755

Manzanillo +52(0)314 332 8834

U

U

UU

Baltimore +1(0)410 882 3977

Morehead City +1(0)252 726 9796

Houston +1(0)713 659 5152

Miami +1(0)321 783 8876

New Orleans +1(0)504 581 3196

New York +1(0)718 499 6600 (ext 240) Portland +1(0)503 286 1223

Seattle+1(0)206 533 0995

U

U

U

U

U

U

U

usa

cdn

Halifax +1(0)902 455 9327 Hamilton +1(0)905 227 5212

U

UU U

Mumbai+91(0)22 2261 6951

U

african regional officeR

Cape Town +27(0)21 461 9410

eak

Rbf

ngr

african francophone office

Vancouver +1(0)604 251 7174 Montreal +1(0)514 931 7859

UU

U

Tampa +1(0)321 784 0686

Veracruz +52(0)229 932 1367

Rinteramerican regional office

Paranaguá +55(0)41 3422 0703

For full contact details of ITF inspectors go to www.itfglobal.org/seafarers/msg-contacts.cfm

Rarab world officehkjet

il

itf head officeRR

european regional office (etf)

tr

R

european sub-regional office

ITF HEAD OFFICElondon+44 (0)20 7403 2733

INTERAMERICAN REGIONAL OFFICErio de janeiro +55 (0)21 2223 0410

EUROPEAN REGIONAL OFFICEbrussels+32 (0)2 285 4660

EUROPEAN SUB-REGIONAL OFFICEmoscow+7 495 782 0468

International Transport Workers’ FederationHelping seafarersaround the world

Valparaiso+56(0)32 221 7727

ULagos+234(0)1 793 6150

U

Haifa+972(0)4 852 4289

Port Said+20(0)66 322 3131

ITF inspectors

Las Palmas+34(0)928 467 630 U

e

Reykjavik+354(0)551 1915 U

is

gb

b

Q

QQTokyo +81(0)35 410 8330asia/pacific regional office

U

Chiba +81(0)50 1291 7326U

Yokohama +81(0)45 451 5585Osaka +81(0)66 612 1004 U

U

rc

UU

UInchon

email: [email protected] Pusan+82(0)51 469 0401/0294

Seoul+82(0)2 716 2764

Vladivostock+7(0)423 251 2485

U

rok

Manila +63(0)2 536 82 87

Cebu City +63(0)32 256 16 72

U

U

rp

asian sub-regional office

UU

U

U

ind

Fremantle+61(0)8 9335 0500

Melbourne+61(0)3 9329 5477

Sydney +61(0)2 9267 9134

Townsville+61(0)7 4771 4311

U

U

U

U

aus

Wellington+64(0)4 801 7613U

nz

U

U

Keelung+886(0)2251 50302

Taichung+886(0)2658 4514

U

U

Kochi+9(0)484 233 8249

UMumbai+91(0)22 2261 6951

R

R

Tuticorin+91(0)461 2326 519

Colombo+94(0)11 243 8326

Visakhapatnam+91(0)891 2502 695

UChennai +91(0)44 2522 3539

Calcutta +91(0)332 459 7598

Haldia +91(0)332 425 2203

For full contact details of ITF inspectors go to www.itfglobal.org/seafarers/msg-contacts.cfm

arab world office

UUTallinn

URiga

U

U

U

UGdyniaUDelfzijlUDublin

BristolU

U

UUBremen

U

U

DunkirkU

MarseilleSète

Bilbao UVigo U

U

LisbonU

UBarcelona

USt Nazaire

Genoa U

U

U Piraeus

UConstanta

U Istanbul

Gävle U

Turku

StockholmU

Gothenburg U

Tilburygbirl

n

s fin

UCopenhagen

Helsingborg

Hamburg

d

dk

Rotterdam UZeebrugge

UAntwerp

U

U

LiverpoolU

b

nl

Le Havre

U

f

UU

U

ep

U TarantoNaples U

PalermoU

ULivorno

Ravenna

i

gr

U SibenikURijeka

hr ro

ua

tr

pl

lv

est

UHelsinkiSt Petersburg

rus

rus

rus

Porsgrunn

Stavanger

Oslo

Rostock

U

U

Bergen

U

U

U

UAberdeen

U

Kaliningrad

Szczecin

Dubrovnik

Odessa

Trieste

european sub-regional office

ARAB WORLD OFFICEamman+962 (0)6 569 94 48

AFRICAN REGIONAL OFFICE nairobi +254 (0)20 444 80 19

AFRICAN FRANCOPHONE OFFICEouagadougou+226 (0)50 30 19 79

ASIA/PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICEtokyo+81 (0)3 3798 2770

ASIAN SUB-REGIONAL OFFICEnew delhi+91 (0)11 2335 4408/7423

International Transport Workers’ Federation

Q

Aberdeen+44(0)1224 582 688

Antwerp +32(0)3 224 3413

Barcelona+34(0)93 481 2766

Bergen +47(0)55 230 059

Bilbao +34(0)94 493 5659

Bremen +49(0)421 330 3333

Bristol +44(0)151 427 3668

Constanta+40(0)241 618 587

Copenhagen+45(0)33 36 13 97

Delfzijl +31(0)10 215 1166

Dublin +353(0)1 874 3735

Dubrovnik+385(0)20 418 992

Dunkirk+33(0)3 28 66 45 24

Gävle +46(0)10 480 30 00

Gdynia+48(0)58 661 60 96

Genoa +39(0)10 25 18 675

Gothenburg+46(0)10 480 31 14

Hamburg+49(0)40 2800 6811

Helsingborg+46(0)31 42 95 31

Helsinki+358(0)9 615 202 55

Istanbul +90(0)216 347 3771

Kaliningrad+7(0)401 265 6840

Le Havre+33(0)2 35 26 63 73

Lisbon +351 (0)21 391 8150

Liverpool+44(0)151 639 8454

Livorno +39(0)58 60 72 379

Marseille+33(0)4 91 54 99 37

Novorossiysk+7(0)861 761 2556

Naples +39(0)81 26 50 21

Odessa +380(0)482 429 901

Oslo +47(0)22 825 835

Palermo +39(0)91 32 17 45

Piraeus +30(0)210 411 6610

Porsgrunn+47(0)35 548 240

Ravenna+39(0)54 44 23 842

Riga +371(0)7 073 436

Rijeka +385(0)51 325 343

Rostock+49(0)381 670 0046

Rotterdam+31(0)10 215 1166

St Nazaire+33(0)2 40 22 54 62

St Petersburg+7(0)812 718 6380

Sète +33(0)4 67 43 75 18

Sibenik +385(0)22 200 320

South Shields+44(0)191 455 1308

Stavanger +47(0)51 840 549

Stockholm+46(0)8 791 4100

Szczecin +48(0)91 423 97 07

Tallinn +372(0)61 16 390

Taranto +39(0)99 47 07 555

Tilbury +44(0)20 8989 6677

Trieste +39(0)40 37 21 832

Turku +358(0)9 613 110

Vigo +34(0)986 221 177

Zeebrugge +32(0)2 549 1103

j

ITF inspectors

Novorossiysk

South Shields

QLeghorn/Livorno�Bruno NazzarriTel: +39(0)58 60 72 379Fax: +39(0)58 68 96 178Mobile: +39(0)335 612 9643 Email: [email protected]�Paolo SerretielloTel: +39(0)81 26 50 21Fax: +39(0)81 56 30 907Mobile: +39(0)335 482 706Email: [email protected]�Francesco SaittaTel/Fax: +39(0)91 32 17 45Mobile: +39(0)338 698 4978Email: [email protected]�Giovanni Olivieri*Tel: +39(0)54 44 23 842Fax: +39(0)54 45 91 852Mobile: +39(0)335 526 8464Email: [email protected]�Gianbattista LeonciniTel/Fax: +39(0)99 47 07 555Mobile: +39(0)335 482 703Email: [email protected]�Paolo SiligatoTel/Fax:+39(0)40 37 21 832Mobile: +39(0)348 445 4343Email: [email protected]

JAPANChiba�Shigeru FujikiTel: +81(0)50 1291 7326Fax: +81(0)3 3733 2627Mobile: +81(0)90 9826 9411Email: [email protected]�Mash TaguchiTel: +81(0)66 612 1004 / 4300Fax: +81(0)66 612 7400Mobile: +81(0)90 7198 6721Email: [email protected]�Shoji Yamashita*Tel: +81(0)35 410 8330Fax: +81(0)35 410 8336Mobile: +81(0)90 3406 3035Email: [email protected]�Fusao OhoriTel: +81(0)45 451 5585Fax: +81(0)45 451 5584Mobile: +81(0)90 6949 5469Email: [email protected]

KOREAInchon�Jang Kyoung-WooEmail: [email protected]�Sang Gi GimTel: +82(0)51 469 0401 / 0294Fax: +82(0)51 464 2762Mobile: +82(0)10 3585 2401Email: [email protected]�Bae Jung HoTel: +82(0)51 463 4828Fax: +82(0)51 464 8423Mobile: +82(0)10 3832 4628Email: [email protected]�Hye Kyung Kim*Tel: +82(0)2 716 2764Fax: +82(0)2 702 2271Mobile: +82(0)10 5441 1232Email: [email protected]

LATVIARiga�Norbert PetrovskisTel: +371(0)7 073 436Fax: +371(0)7 383 577Mobile: +371(0)29 215 136Email: [email protected]

MEXICOManzanillo�Honorio AguilarTel/Fax: +52(0)314 332 8834Mobile: +52(0)1 314 122 9212Email: [email protected]�Enrique LozanoTel/Fax: +52(0)229 932 1367 / 3023Mobile: +52(0)1 229 161 0700Email: [email protected]

NETHERLANDSDelfzijl�Ruud Touwen*Tel: +31(0)10 215 1166Fax: +31(0)10 423 3933Mobile: +31(0)65 331 5072Email: [email protected]�Debbie KleinTel: +31(0)10 215 1166Fax: +31(0)10 423 3933Mobile: +31(0)65 318 2734Email: [email protected]�Aswin NoordermeerTel: +31(0)10 215 1166Fax: +31(0)10 423 3933Mobile: +31(0)65 333 7522Email: [email protected]

NEW ZEALANDWellington�Grahame McLarenTel: +64(0)4 801 7613Fax: +64(0)4 384 8766 Mobile: +64(0)21 292 1782Email: [email protected]

NIGERIALagos�Henry AkinrolabuTel/Fax: +234(0) 1 793 6150Mobile: +234(0)803 835 9368Email: [email protected]

NORWAYBergen�Tore SteineTel: +47(0)55 230 059Fax: +47(0)55 900 152Mobile: +47(0)90 768 115Email: [email protected]�Nils Pedersen*Tel: +47(0)22 825 835 / 425 872Fax: +47(0)22 423 056Mobile: +47(0)90 148 487Email: [email protected]�Angelica GjestrumTel: +47(0)22 825 824Fax: +47(0)22 423 056Mobile: +47(0)97 729 357Email: [email protected]�Truls M HellenesTel: +47(0)35 548 240Fax: +47(0)35 548 023Mobile: +47(0)90 980 487Email: [email protected]�Aage BaerheimTel: +47(0)51 840 549Fax: +47(0)51 840 501 / 502Mobile: +47(0)90 755 776Email: [email protected]

PHILIPPINESCebu City�Joselito O PedariaTel: +63(0)32 256 16 72Fax: +63(0)32 253 25 31Mobile: +63(0)920 970 0168Email: [email protected]�Rodrigo AguinaldoTel: +63(0)2 536 82 87Fax: +63(0)2 536 82 86Mobile: +63(0)917 811 1763Email: [email protected]

POLANDGdynia�Andrzej KoscikTel: +48(0)58 661 60 96Fax: +48(0)58 661 60 53Mobile: +48(0)602 233 619Email: [email protected]

Szczecin�Adam MazurkiewiczTel: +48(0)91 423 97 07Fax: +48(0)91 423 93 30Mobile: +48(0)501 539 329Email: [email protected]

PORTUGALLisbon�João PiresTel: +351 (0)21 391 8150Fax: +351 (0)21 391 8159Mobile: +351 (0)91 936 4885Email: [email protected]

PUERTO RICOSan Juan�Felipe García-CortijoTel: +1787(0)783 1755Fax: +1787(0)273 7989Mobile: +1787(0)410 1344Email: [email protected]

ROMANIAConstanta�Adrian MihalcioiuTel: +40(0)241 618 587Fax: +40(0)241 616 915Mobile: +40(0)722 248 828Email: [email protected]

RUSSIAKaliningrad�Vadim MamontovTel: +7(0)401 265 6840 / 6475Fax: +7(0)401 265 6372 Mobile: +7(0)906 238 6858Email: [email protected]�Olga AnaninaTel/Fax: +7(0)861 761 2556Mobile: +7(0)988 762 1232Email: [email protected] Petersburg�Sergey Fishov*Tel/Fax: +7(0)812 718 6380Mobile: +7(0)911 096 9383Email: [email protected]�Kirill PavlovTel/Fax: +7(0)812 718 6380Mobile: +7(0)911 929 0426Email: [email protected]�Petr OsichanskyTel/Fax: +7(0)423 251 2485Mobile: +7(0)423 270 6485Email: [email protected]

SOUTH AFRICACape Town�Cassiem AugustusTel: +27(0)21 461 9410Fax: +27(0)21 462 1299Mobile: +27(0)82 773 6366Email: [email protected]�Sprite Zungu*Tel/Fax: +27(0)31 706 1433Mobile: +27(0)82 773 6367Email: [email protected]

SPAINBarcelona�Joan Mas GarcíaTel: +34(0)93 481 2766Fax: +34(0)93 298 2179Mobile: +34(0)629 302 503Email: [email protected]�Mohamed ArrachediTel: +34(0)94 493 5659Fax: +34(0)94 493 6296Mobile: +34(0)629 419 007Email: [email protected] Palmas�Victor CondeTel: +34(0)928 467 630Fax: +34(0)928 465 547Mobile: +34(0)676 057 807Email: [email protected]�Luz BazTel/Fax: +34(0)986 221 177Mobile: +34(0)660 682 164Email: [email protected]

SRI LANKAColombo�Ranjan PereraTel: +94(0)11 243 8326 / 248 3295Fax: +94(0)11 278 5091Mobile: +94(0)77 314 7005Email: [email protected]

SWEDENGävle�Peter LövkvistTel: +46(0)10 480 30 00Fax: +46(0)87 23 18 03Mobile: +46(0)70 626 77 89Email: [email protected]�Göran LarssonTel: +46(0)10 480 31 14Fax: +46(0)31 13 56 77Mobile: +46(0)70 626 77 88Email: [email protected]�Göran NilssonTel: +46(0)10 480 31 21Fax: +46(0)31 13 56 77Mobile: +46(0)76 100 65 12Email: [email protected]�Sven SaveTel: +46(0)31 42 95 31Fax: +46(0)31 42 95 01Mobile: +46(0)70 57 49 713Email: [email protected]�Carl Tauson*Tel: +46(0)8 791 4100Fax: +46(0)8 212 595Mobile: +46(0)70 59 26 896Email: [email protected]�Annica BarningTel: +46(0)8 454 8405Fax: +46(0)8 411 6940Mobile: +46(0)70 57 49 714Email: [email protected]

TAIWANKeelung�Huang Yu-Sheng*Tel: +886(0)2251 50302Fax: +886(0)2250 61046 / 78211Mobile: +886(0)933 906 398Email: [email protected]�Sanders ChangTel: +886(0)2658 4514Fax: +886(0)2658 4517Mobile: +886(0)955 415 705Email: [email protected]

TURKEYIstanbul�Muzaffer CivelekTel: +90(0)216 347 3771Fax: +90(0)216 347 4991Mobile: +90(0)535 663 3124Email: [email protected]

UKRAINEOdessa�Nataliya YefrimenkoTel: +380(0)482 429 901 / 902Fax: +380(0)482 429 906Mobile: +380(0)503 366 792Email: [email protected]

UNITED KINGDOMAberdeen�Norrie McVicar*Tel: +44(0)1224 582 688Fax: +44(0)1224 584 165Mobile: +44(0)7768 652 257Email: [email protected]�Bill AndersonTel/Fax: +44(0)151 427 3668Mobile: +44(0)7876 794 914Email: [email protected]�Tommy MolloyTel: +44(0)151 639 8454Fax: +44(0)151 346 8801Mobile: +44(0)7764 182 768Email: [email protected] Shields�Neil KeithTel: +44(0)191 455 1308 / 1224 582 688Fax: +44(0)191 456 1309Mobile: +44(0)7748 841 939Email: [email protected]

Tilbury�Chris JonesTel: +44(0)20 8989 6677Fax: +44(0)20 8530 1015Mobile: +44(0)7921 022 600Email: [email protected]

UNITED STATESBaltimore�Arthur PetitpasTel: +1(0)410 882 3977Fax: +1(0)410 882 1976Mobile: +1(0)443 562 3110Email: [email protected]�Shwe Tun AungTel: +1(0)713 659 5152Fax: +1(0)713 650 8629Mobile: +1(0)713 447 0438Email: [email protected] Angeles�Stefan Mueller-DomboisTel: +1(0)562 493 8714Fax: +1(0)562 493 7190Mobile: +1(0)562 673 9786Email: [email protected]�Hans SaurenmannTel: +1(0)321 783 8876Fax: +1(0)321 783 2821Mobile: +1(0)305 360 3279Email: [email protected] City�Tony SaccoTel/Fax: +1(0)252 726 9796Mobile: +1(0)252 646 2093Email: [email protected] Orleans�Dwayne Boudreaux*Tel: +1(0)504 581 3196 (ext 7)Fax: +1(0)504 568 9996Mobile: +1(0)504 442 1556Email: [email protected] York�Enrico Esopa*Tel: +1(0)718 499 6600 (ext 240)Fax: +1(0)718 832 8870Mobile: +1(0)201 417 2805Email: [email protected]�Martin LarsonFax: +1(0)503 286 1223Mobile: +1(0)503 347 7775Email: [email protected] RicoSee separate listing for Puerto RicoSeattle�Lila SmithTel: +1(0)206 533 0995Fax: +1(0)206 533 0996Mobile: +1(0)206 818 1195Email: [email protected]�Jeff Engels*Tel: +1(0)206 633 1614Fax: +1(0)206 675 1614Mobile: +1(0)206 331 2134Email: [email protected]�Tony SassoTel: +1(0)321 784 0686Fax: +1(0)321 784 0522Mobile: +1(0)321 258 8217Email: [email protected]

*Denotes ITF Coordinator

�

ITF inspectors

Do you need help? If so, get intouch with us with this information

International Transport Workers’ Federation

Your details�Your name (will be treated in

confidence)

�Your contact number(s)

�Your position on board (forexample, AB)

�Your nationality

Details of the ship�Ship name

�Type of ship

�Flag

�IMO number

�Current location of the ship

�The next port of call + ETA

�Number of crew and theirnationalities

�Type of cargo / quantity onboard

�Name of shipowner / operator

What is the problem?�Describe the problem (giving

as much detail as possible)

�How long have you beenexperiencing this problem?

�Are there others experiencingsimilar problems on board?(please give details)

�How long have you been onboard this ship?

�What kind of help are you lookingfor? (for example, recovery ofwages, repatriation etc)

�Thinkingof takingindustrial action?

�Read this first!

The ITF is committed to assistingseafarers serving on flag ofconvenience ships to get just wagesand proper collective agreementcoverage. Sometimes seafarers have to

resort to legal action in local courts.On other occasions boycott actionmay be taken against a ship. Differentactions are right for different places.The right action in one country mayvery well be wrong in another.What you must do first is contact

the local representative of the ITF.You will find contact email addressesand phone numbers in the centre ofthis bulletin. You should also seeklocal legal advice before you take anyaction.In some countries, the law actually

works against you and your fellowcrew members if you take strikeaction, and in such a case, the localITF union representatives will explainthis to you.In many more countries, the key to

winning a dispute is strike action.Once again, this depends on the localadvice you receive. You have the legalright to strike in many countries, solong as your ship is in port and not atsea.In any strike action it is important

to remember to remain disciplined,peaceful and united. And remember,the right to strike is a basic humanright guaranteed, in many countries,by the law or constitution.Whatever you choose to do, don’t

forget to talk to the local ITFrepresentatives before you doanything. Working together, we can win the battle for justice andbasic rights.

This is the information you will need to give us when you ask theITF for help. To contact the ITF Actions Team, Maritime OperationsDepartment, email: [email protected] or fax: +44 20 7940 9285 or+44 20 7357 7871 Here is a checklist of the information you will beasked to provide:

Patrice Terraz


These are the maritime flags that the International Transport Workers’ Federation has declared FLAGS OF CONVENIENCE

ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES TONGASÃO TOMÉ & PRÍNCIPE

Flags of convenience

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA BAHAMAS BARBADOS BELIZE BERMUDA

BOLIVIA BURMA/MYANMAR CAMBODIA CAYMAN ISLANDS COMOROS

EQUATORIAL GUINEACYPRUS GERMANY (second register)

HONDURASGIBRALTAR

GEORGIA

LEBANON LIBERIA

MONGOLIA

JAMAICA

MALTA

FRANCE (second register)

MARSHALL ISLANDS

NETHERLANDS ANTILLESMAURITIUS NORTH KOREA PANAMA

SRI LANKA

In addition to these flags, there are certain shipping registers whose vessels can be regarded, on a ship by ship basis, as operating under a flag of convenience.

VANUATU

ITF HOUSE, 49-60 BOROUGH ROAD, LONDON SE1 1DR TEL: +44 (0)20 7403 2733 FAX: +44 (0)20 7357 7871 EMAIL:[email protected] INTERNET:WWW.ITFGLOBAL.ORG

Seafarers will soon see real benefits totheir working conditions, as a result ofthe International Labour Organisation

(ILO) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC),2006, otherwise known as the Seafarers’ Bill ofRights.

The convention will provide comprehensiverights and protection at work for the world’sseafarers.

Most importantly, it has a comprehensiveenforcement system for all vessels, evenwhere their flag states have not signed up tothe convention.

The ITF and its affiliates played a major role

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010 27�

Seafarers get anew bill of rights

The Maritime LabourConvention 2006 provides

real and enforceable rights forseafarers. This is your simple

six-page guide to what itmeans for you.


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in developing the convention at the ILO. “This is a real vehicle for change and a tool

for improvement in the maritime industry,”says Jon Whitlow, ITF seafarers’ sectionsecretary. “We fought for seafarers’ rights inthe convention, line by line, issue by issue.Now we want seafarers to use it, bycomplaining if they don’t receive their rights.”

The MLC, 2006, will come into force 12months after ratification by at least 30 ILOmember countries with a total share of at least33 per cent of the world’s gross tonnage ofships. Currently, five countries have ratifed theconvention: Bahamas, Liberia, MarshallIslands, Nigeria and Panama.

According to the ILO, this high standard ofratification is designed to achieve real changefor the sector, not just a token sign-up. Thecountries that are responsible for regulatingconditions on the major part of the world’smerchant fleet will need to implement thestandards at a national level.

THE BASICS

A seafarer is defined as any person who isemployed, engaged or working in any capacityon board a ship to which the conventionapplies. This includes riding gangs and hoteland catering staff on cruise ships, as well asother personnel.

This convention applies to all ships, exceptas expressly provided otherwise. The mainexclusions are ships that navigate exclusivelyinland waterway, fishing vessels, warships andnaval auxiliaries, and ships of traditional buildsuch as dhows and junks.

Seafarers must be over the age of 16, andyou must be certified medically fit for yourduties.

The convention looks at conditions ofemployment, accommodation, recreationalfacilities, food and catering, health protection,medical care, welfare and social securityprotection.

The MLC reminds everybody that certainfundamental rights relating to work should bemaintained. These include:�The right to freedom of association – yourright to join a trade union of your choice�Effective recognition of the right to collectivebargaining – the right of your union tonegotiate a CBA (collective bargainingagreement) on your behalf.

In brief, you have a right to a safe and secureworkplace, where safety standards arecomplied with, where you have fair terms of

employment, decent living and workingconditions and social protection such asaccess to medical care, health protection andwelfare.

YOUR ENTITLEMENTS

WagesYou have the right to be paid regularly and infull, at least monthly, and in accordance withyour employment agreement or CBA. Youremployer must provide you with a monthlyaccount. Overtime records should be kept bythe captain and endorsed at least monthly byyou. Your employer must ensure that you areable to send all or part of your earnings home.You shouldn’t be expected to payunreasonable charges for such services.

Your entitlements include:�You should be paid in full any outstandingremuneration on termination of yourengagement.�No deductions can be made from your pay,including fees for obtaining employment,unless expressly permitted by national law oragreed in your CBA.

Hours of work and hours of restNormal working hours are based on an eight-hour day with one day of rest per week.

The flag state can decide whether to basethe limits on maximum hours of work orminimum hours of rest.

Minimum hours of work:�You must not work more than 14 hours in any24-hour period.

�You must not work more than 72 hours inany seven-day period.

Minimum hours of rest:�You must have at least 10 hours of rest in any24-hour period.�You must have at least 77 hours of rest inany seven-day period.

The hours of rest can be divided into nomore than two periods, one of which must beat least 6 hours long. You cannot work for morethan 14 hours without taking a rest. However,in the event of an emergency in which thesafety of the ship and crew are in danger, or togive assistance to other ships or persons indistress at sea, the captain can suspend thework schedule until the problem is resolved.

Working arrangements:All ships have to display a table with shipboardworking arrangements in the workinglanguage of the ship and in English. It mustinclude:�Schedule of service at sea and service inport�Maximum hours of work or minimum hoursof rest required by law or by applicable CBAs.

Records must be kept of hours of work andhours of rest so that they can be checked toensure compliance with the regulations. Youmust receive an endorsed copy of your hoursof work/rest.

Entitlement to leaveYou are entitled to paid annual leave, andshore leave and the minimum annual leaveentitlement is calculated on the basis of 2.5days for every calendar month of employment.

RepatriationYou have a right to be repatriated at no cost toyourself. The maximum period you can beexpected to serve on board before beingentitled to repatriation at the shipowner’sexpense is 12 months.

Accommodation and recreationalfacilitiesFlag states have to pass laws and regulationsobliging ships flying their flag to comply with aset of standards that must be inspected forcompliance.

Food and cateringShips must carry sufficient quantities of goodquality food and drinking water and supply itfree of charge during your period ofengagement. Religious and cultural

28 ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010

�


The MLC in briefThe Maritime Labour Convention is aseafarers’ bill of rights, fought for by the ITFand its affiliates.

It gives seafarers basic rights andprotections at work. The MLC says thatseafarers have a right to:

�a safe and secure workplace

�fair terms of employment

�decent living and working conditions

�social protection such as access tomedical care, health protection and welfare.

It has a comprehensive enforcementsystem, but seafarers need to reportproblems for the system to work.

�

Maritime Labour Convention

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By Jon WhitlowThe ITF has been heavily involved in all the MaritimeLabour Convention negotiations.

This is a very innovative piece of work: in terms of ILOconventions, it’s much more detailed than usual. Wespent a lot of time on compliance and enforcement andwe feel it’s as good as it possibly can be, given the needto secure tripartite agreement.

Every ship over 500 GT, operating in internationalwaters or between ports of different countries, has tohave a maritime labour certificate. This means that themajority of world ships will need a certificate.

For the first time, there will be regular inspections onglobal social and labour rights. And even ships without acertificate can be inspected.

But seafarers must now play their part. We’re askingseafarers to stand up and fight, and to use their rights,by complaining if their rights aren’t adhered to. Ifseafarers report anti-union clauses, non-payment ofwages or double book-keeping, this will come underport state control for the first time.

Flag of convenience shipping has turned a blind eye tosocial and labour rights. Even though it has anobligation under international law, now this will beenforceable.

The rights weren’t given to us by governments, wehad to battle for them. It didn’t happen easily. Unionsworking together achieved this bill of rights. And unionsfought to improve the minimum social and employmentrights. It can’t be used as a tool to downgrade existingrights. If used well, this convention could be a majorweapon.

The ITF is continuing to work on the MLC. We’re nowinvolved in lobbying for ratification, along with nationalunions. The signs are that it will be widely ratified.

We’re training ITF inspectors, and producingsimplified guidelines and factsheets. Seafarers shouldcontact inspectors as they have a key role in ensuringseafarers’ rights are delivered.

Ultimately, we’ll measure its success by what itachieves in the real world and how it affects people onthe ground.


The ITF and the MaritimeLabour Convention

“The rightsweren’t given to us bygovernments, wehad to battle forthem. It didn’thappen easily.Unions workingtogetherachieved this billof rights.

”

The International Maritime Organisation has decided that the theme forthis year’s World Maritime Day –to be observed during the week of 20 to24 September –will be “2010: Year of the Seafarer”. According to theIMO, the aim is to “pay tribute to the world’s seafarers for their uniquecontribution to society and in recognition of the risks they shoulder inthe execution of their duties in an often hostile environment”.

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 201030


differences also have to be considered.Ships’ cooks have to be appropriately

trained and qualified, except on ships with lessthan 10 crew or for a period of no longer thanone month.

Health and safety protection andaccident preventionYou are entitled to live and work in a safe andhygienic environment where a culture of safetyand health is actively promoted.

If you are on a ship with five or moreseafarers, you have to have a seafarers’ safetyrepresentative elected or appointed by thecrew to participate in the ship’s safetycommittee.

Medical care on board ship and ashoreWhilst you are on board you must be able toprotect your health and have prompt access tomedical care, including dental care, should youneed it.

You should not be worse off than peopleworking ashore. This means you should haveprompt access to necessary medicines,medical equipment and facilities for diagnosisand treatment as well as medical informationand expertise.

For ships carrying 100 or more people, oninternational voyages of more than three days,there must be a qualified medical doctor onboard.

Shipowners’ liabilityShipowners are responsible for any costsresulting from sickness, injury or deathconnected to your employment, from the dateyou start a contract until you have beenrepatriated, or can claim medical benefitsunder an insurance/compensation scheme.

If you need medicine, medical treatment, orhave to stay away from home while yourcondition is treated, the shipowner has to payany bills until you have recovered or you havebeen signed off as permanently disabled. The

�

The ITFinspectorIlpo Minkkinen, ITFinspector, FinnishSeafarers’ Union

I have been participating inmeetings with governmentand employers about ournational legislation. Wehave to make changes toour legislation so that wecan implement and ratifythe Maritime LabourConvention 2006.

I’m remindingshipowners andadministrationrepresentatives that theMLC 2006 is only aminimum standard and wecan always make ournational legislation better;for example onaccommodation,recreational facilities, foodand catering. I have visitedour flag vessels anddiscussed with seafarers,safety representatives andshop stewards and askedtheir opinions on thesematters.

But my concern is thatshipowners think the MLC2006 is a maximum not aminimum standard. If avessel is not covered by anITF acceptable collectivebargaining agreement, theonly employmentagreements and wages areInternational LabourOrganisation-recommended minimumwages. In our country wedon’t accept ILO levelwages on flag ofconvenience or nationalflag vessels, but the portstate control does. So I’mconcerned about whether

the port state will act on anyproblems we uncover.

Ultimately, I think mywork as an ITF inspector willbe the same when the MLC2006 is in force. We havestrong unions in Finland andwe will be successful in ourFOC campaign to securedecent wages and workingconditions for seafarers.

For seafarers on ournational flag ships there willbe little change. But forseafarers on board FOCvessels there will be theopportunity to ask for helpfrom our country’s port stateinspectorate in mattersconcerning the MLC 2006.I’m sure they will contact usfor help, particularly when itcomes to wages. They canrely on us to do our best.

Whatever happens, I amsure seafarers will alwaysneed strong unions andstrong support from the ITFto defend their basic rights.

The welfareofficerRoger Harris,International Committeeon Seafarers’ Welfare

The MLC 2006 provides animportant opportunity toraise the profile ofseafarers’ welfare and putit firmly on the maritimeagenda. It will mean a lotmore work for the ICSW toensure that the welfaresections of the MLC arefully understood andimplemented. It meansdeveloping constructivepartnerships withshipowners and managers,unions, ports, governments

and welfare organisationsto ensure that themandatory regulations arecomplied with and thevoluntary guidelinesadopted. It will mean morework for me, as I need tomake sure that the ICSWplays a leading role in theimplementation of thewelfare regulations andguidelines of the MLC.

The MLC establishes theright of the seafarer to“health protection, medicalcare, welfare measures andother forms of socialprotection”. The MLCmarks a step forward as,unlike other conventions, itapplies to all states, eventhose which do not ratify it.It should mean betteraccess to welfare servicesand facilities for ordinaryseafarers.

The convention is of vitalimportance as it recognisesthat seafarers are humanbeings with rights towelfare that should berespected and upheld. Theconvention also recognisesthe importance ofproviding welfare servicesand facilities both on boardand ashore and developingstructures to deliver this.

“The MLC marksa step forwardas, unlike otherconventions, itapplies to allstates, eventhose which donot ratify it.

”

WHAT IT MEANS FOR ME


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shipowner’s responsibility for paying thesecosts may be limited to 16 weeks from the dayof injury/sickness, if stated in nationallaw/regulation.

If you are unable to work as a result of theinjury/illness you should get full wages solong as you are on board. When you get homenational laws and CBAs apply which willdetermine whether you get full pay, part pay ora cash settlement. These payments may belimited to 16 weeks from the day ofinjury/sickness.

Access to shore-based welfare facilitiesAll seafarers working on board a ship shouldhave access to shore-based facilities and

services to secure their health and well-being.They should be easily accessible to youregardless of your nationality, race, colour,sex, religion, political opinion, social class orthe flag of your ship.

Shipowners must, if possible, grant shoreleave – this is not an obligation on port statecontrol.

Social securityYou and your dependants have a right to haveaccess to social security protection. Stateshave to provide at least three areas of socialsecurity and the recommended areas are:medical care, sickness benefit andemployment injury benefit.

RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT AND

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS

Crew manning agencies offering recruitment services must not charge forfinding you work. The only costs that can becharged to you are those for obtaining yournational statutory medical certificate, yournational seafarers’ book, your passport orsimilar personal travel documents. The cost of visas must be paid for by theshipowner.

Seafarers’ employment agreementsYou are entitled to a fair employmentagreement or contract setting out decentliving and working conditions on board. Itmust be signed by you and your employer, beeasy to understand and legally enforceable.On the employer’s side, it can be signed bythe shipowner, the shipowner’srepresentative or the person who has takenover the duties and responsibilities foroperating the ship.

All information on the terms and conditionsof employment, including the CBA, must befreely accessible to everyone on board andavailable for inspection in port.

What must be in your employmentagreement? �Your full name, date of birth/age and placeof birth�Shipowner’s name and address�Place where and date when the agreementwas signed�Position on board, for example 3rdengineer, able seaman, cook�Amount of your wages and how they arecalculated�Amount of paid annual leave�Conditions for terminating the contract,including notice period for agreements ofindefinite length� Expiry date – if the contract is for a fixedterm you are entitled to know when you willbe discharged�Port of destination – if the contract is for aspecific voyage you should know how long itwill be after your arrival before you will bedischarged�Health and social security benefitsprovided by the shipowner�Details of your entitlement to repatriation�Reference to the CBA, if applicable�Any other details required by national law.

WHAT HAPPENS IF SEAFARERS DON’T

RECEIVE THESE RIGHTS?

As a seafarer you can make a complaint onboard either to a senior officer, to the captain,to the shipowner or to the flag state. You canalso make a complaint to a port state controlofficer/labour inspector. You don’t have tomake the complaint directly; someone else,for example an ITF inspector or welfareworker, can make it for you.

The flag states, port states and labour-supplying states all have responsibilities insecuring compliance with and enforcement ofthe requirements of the MLC.


“If you are on a ship withfive or more seafarers,you have to have aseafarers’ safetyrepresentative elected orappointed by the crew toparticipate in the ship’ssafety committee.

”

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On-board complaint proceduresThere must be a procedure in place on boardyour ship enabling you to make a complaintabout breaches of the convention and yourrights, including the right to live and work indecent conditions.

You should try to resolve problems at thelowest possible level, but you do have theright to go directly to the master, or to externalauthorities such as a representative of the flagstate. You have the right to be accompaniedby a representative or a fellow seafarer and

under no circumstances can you be victimisedfor making a complaint. If the complaintcannot be resolved on board you should referthe matter ashore, either to the shipowner orto the authorities of the flag state, the portstate or those in your own country. When youjoin the ship you should get a copy of the on-board complaints procedure.

COMPLIANCE

Each flag state will decide for itself how tocomply with the MLC so conditions will vary

from flag state to flag state. This is permitted solong as the convention’s requirements are metand the ship complies with the flag state’sstandards, which must be set out in theDeclaration of Maritime Labour Compliance.

In addition to the DMLC, each ship over 500GT, operating in international waters orbetween ports of different countries, has tohave a maritime labour certificate. Thecertificate confirms that the vessel complieswith the convention requirements.

� For further information visit:www.itfseafarers.org

�

The port statecontrol officerLuigi Giardino, Italian PortState Control

Once the Maritime LabourConvention is firmly in place, itwill establish a level playingfield for the tripartite partners,benefiting the governments(flag state), shipowners andseafarers alike. It is timely thatthe seafaring community andsocial partners work ever closerto ensure that all seafarers havedecent employment conditions.

Previously, the large numberof existing maritimeconventions made it difficult forgovernments to satisfy and toenforce all of the standards.Many of the standards were outof date, and did not reflectcontemporary working andliving conditions on boardships. There was a need todevelop a more effectiveenforcement and compliancesystem that would help toeliminate substandard ships. Italso needed to work within thewell-established internationalsystem for enforcement of theinternational standards for shipsafety and security andenvironmental protection thathave been adopted by the

International MaritimeOrganisation (IMO).

Ships have to be certified tosay they are in line with theinternational principles of theMLC. This should make it easierto identify the ships we need toinspect.

A ship that is certificatedunder the authority of the flag itis entitled to fly will beinspected abroad less. Portstate control will need to focusmainly on ships that are, orseem likely to be, substandard.This includes ships that are notcertified because their flagstate has not ratified theconvention.

The nationalunion officialJuan Luis Villalón, ITFinspector, Chile

In Chile, we’ve been playing abig part in the development ofthe MLC at a national level. Werecently created a MerchantMarine Workers’ Council, whichbrings together maritimeunions, federations, colleges,officers and ratings. We, asworkers, now have a uniqueopportunity to approach theauthorities with our requests

and problems, and to beconsulted when new laws arebeing drafted.

Politically, the ILO has alwaysbeen keen on having Chile ratifyor at least adopt someconventions.

Our government decided tostart a tripartite consultation onthe MLC. The ILO saw a verygood chance of promoting thisin Latin America and held aseminar at their sub regionaloffice.

All parties looked at theissues they thought should beincluded. Some relevant issueswere the difference betweensafety manning and commercialmanning, the importance of thecatering department in the ship,

working hours, accommodationand certification. Even thenational registry came upduring this conference.

Many authorities attendedthe conference including theministry of labour, the labourdirectorate (inspectingdepartment), the maritime subsecretary, the health secretary,the maritime authority, theshipowners’ association andworkers. We lobbied theauthorities and owners to haveas many people involved aspossible.

A draft was created as areport in order to start theconsultation. This was the firststep in a round of formal andofficial negotiations withgovernment and shipowners.

During the year, all issuesrelating to the implementationof the MLC were broached,particularly those issues thatinvolved a modification of ourinternal regulations, such as theLabour Code, national STCW, onboard working regulation,navigational law etc.

Once the final draft wascompleted in agreementbetween all parties, a reportwas sent to the ILO andcurrently we are reporting to aregional confrence on the MLCin Barbados, where I amassisting as the workers’representative.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR ME


“We, as workers,now have a uniqueopportunity toapproach theauthorities withour requests andproblems, and tobe consulted.

”


Rob Bremne

r/repo

rtdigital.co.uk


Seafarers have faced a difficult time in2009. Many ships have been laid upand the time between contracts gets

longer. When there is less cargo on board,ships take less time to load, and crew have aneven shorter time for shore leave.

This means that seafarers’ centres are alsostruggling. Either they have had fewervisitors, or the visitors they have had havehad less money to spend. Traditional incomesuch as selling beer and refreshments hasdecreased with tighter restrictions on alcoholconsumption. Selling of phone cards and

�

Seafarers’ centresUse them or lose themWelfare centres may face closure if

they don’t get enough visitors,and seafarers will lose out.

A seafarer with his family heading to Mersey Mission to Seafarers, Liverpool.

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2010 www.itfseafarers.org34

income from calls made has decreased asphone calls have got cheaper.

Representatives from several of the world’sseafarers’ centres gathered in Hong Kong inOctober 2009 to see how these centres canstay open and continue to support seafarerssuccessfully.

A Filipino seafarer, Nonoy Baldon, came tothe group to share his experience ofseafarers’ centres from a recent voyage.Nonoy said that the crew were very happy tomeet ship visitors on board their ships inports, especially if they could help themcommunicate with their families. He spokeabout how easy it was for seafarers to beexploited by the commercial people in theports and that once he had had to pay US$100for a 25-minute taxi ride into town. In the localbar they were well looked after and “given”many snacks and food and drinks, only to bepresented with a US$500 bill at the end of theevening.

In another port the chaplain had visited theship and taken them on a sightseeing tour andto the seafarers’ centre. Nonoy commentedthat it was good to see some grass andmountains and after that tour his fellow crew

members were very happy and they talkedabout the experience even as they weresigning off the ship at the end of the contract.

Hennie La Grange, general secretary of theInternational Christian Maritime Association,said: “The workshop clearly displayed thepassion and professionalism of thedelegates, and the quality of care delivered toseafarers at centres. ICMA is proud to beassociated with such dedication to servingseafarers. We hope that the outcome of theworkshop will be a toolkit for all seafarers’centres.”

Roy Paul from the ITF Seafarers’ Trust alsohelped lead the workshop and said: “It wasvery clear that the centres are still very muchan essential part of providing welfare forseafarers. The MLC 2006 highlights the needfor port-based welfare facilities and thesecentres already exist in many ports.

“The needs of seafarers have changed andso there is a limited need for centres withaccommodation for example and the centresneed to be smaller and closer to the portswherever possible. Above all though theyneed to be used by seafarers and I hope thatseafarers will make an effort to visit centreswhenever they can and to support theircentres!”

Seafarers’ centresThere are an estimated 650 seafarers’ centres at ports around the world. Many are operated bymembers of the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA). The ITF Seafarers’Trust,with ICMA, funded a workshop in Hong Kong to bring together centre managers and chaplainsfrom around the world. Centre managers looked at the crucial factors and best practice to makeseafarers’ centres successful.

The group identified a number of issues, including:

�the need for centres to be focused on seafarers’ needs

�the infrastructure (location, accessibility, architecture) of centres

�the integrity of persons and services associated with centres

�the attitude and professionalism of staff and volunteers

�relationships of the centres with local authorities, the industry and the local faith community

�reliable transport to be available

�fundraising is an important part of maintaining these valuable services for seafarers.

Seafarers’ centres offer a valuable service and, by coming together, centre managers can makesure they truly meet the needs of seafarers.

�

“The needs ofseafarers havechanged and so thereis a limited need forcentres withaccommodation forexample and thecentres need to besmaller and closer tothe ports whereverpossible.

”


ITF Seafarers’ Trust

The rise of container shippinghas affected the welfare ofseafarers. Ships can be unloadedand loaded again in hours ratherthan days and so the shore leavetime available to seafarers islimited. The opportunity in manyplaces to visit the seafarer’scentre in the city or outside theport has been affected.

So perhaps it was inevitablethat sooner or later someonewould look to containers to meetthe welfare needs of seafarers. Inports around the world,containers are increasinglybeing converted into seafarers’centres.

Seafarers gain a number ofadvantages with these newcontainer centres. Mostimportantly, they can be locatedmuch closer to the dock, makingthem easy to visit. This is why theITF Seafarers’ Trust is fundingthese facilities and encouragingseafarers to make use of them.

Container centresIn 2009, the ITF Seafarers’ Trustfunded the opening of acontainer seafarers’ centre in thePhilippines port of GeneralSantos. The project wascoordinated with the help of theport authority and the chaplain,Sr Susan O Bolanio. Bolanio,together with Bishop Gutierrez,approached Marina (MaritimeIndustry and NationalAdministration), customs,coastguards and the PhilippinePort Authority (PPA).

The PPA committed to providea space for the Apostleship of theSea services. The multinationalfruit shipping company, DolePhilippines, donated a 40-footcontainer through its generalmanager Kevin Davis. Thecompany constructed thebuilding, adding doors andwindows, flooring and lining inless than a month, transformingit into the Seafarers’ Centre.

The Stella Maris seafarers’drop-in centre is strategically

located for visiting crews on thequayside within walkingdistance of the ships. It has aninternet café and telephones, aswell as a small refreshment areaand garden area where seafarerscan sit in the evening and relax.

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust hasfunded a number of similarprojects. In the Philippines portof Cebu, two 40-foot containershave been converted into aseafarers’ centre. And in theFrench port of Marseille, atemporary modular buildingprovides a similar alternative to acontainer, acting as a seafarers’drop-in centre.

Seafarers who arrive at theNigerian Port of Apapa, in Lagos,can also find a welfare centrevery close to the port. The portauthority offered a site alongsidethe port control tower, and theITF funded a new centre with fourinternet-connected computers.Seafarers can access soft drinksand local souvenirs.

Amos Kuje, the secretary ofthe National Seafarers’ WelfareBoard, said: “With the help of theport authority we have been ableto establish the centre here. Theprogrammes planned forseafarers in this centre include

the hosting of seafarers fromships berthed in Apapa’sterminals for general cargo,container, bulk and roll on rolloff.

“The space within the centre isbeing used for relaxation, tabletennis and badminton. A free busis available to visit places ofinterest, to go shopping andattend churches and mosques.The volunteers have undertakenthe ICSW-sponsored shipwelfare visitors’ course. Theyregularly visit ships and alsocarry out duties in the centre toensure it is open to seafarersdaily from 9am-9pm.”

Containers are an excellentway to provide seafarers withuseful facilities close to the port.If the needs of the port change,then the containers can simplybe moved to other areas.

Barnabas Epu is a volunteer atthe Apapa centre and he says:“We have had many visitors tothe centre since it opened. Weare lucky to be in this locationwithin the port, as with the ISPS(International Ship and PortFacility Security) Code code theseafarers can get to us easily.Also we are within the secureareas which makes it possible forseafarers to visit. The seafarersare surprised to find the centrehere in the port and happy thatthey can contact their families.”

Tom Holmer of the ITFSeafarers’ Trust said: “We willcontinue to fund these centres tohelp seafarers access theservices they need. We aredelighted that where thesecentres are being establishedlocal shipping companies andport authorities are respondingpositively in providing thecontainers and the space tohouse the container centres. Insome places the port authorityresponding to the welfare needsof seafarers in their ports havealso provided the electricity andwater services and this is atremendous help.”

ROY PAUL reportson the latestinnovation toprovide seafarerswith a welcomingspace.

A new solution?

ITF Seafarers to launch inChinese, Russian and Spanish

ITF maritime coordinator Stephen Cottongives us an insight into the ITF Seafarerswebsite 18 months on.

WHAT WAS THE ITF’S AIM IN CREATING A WEBSITESPECIFICALLY FOR SEAFARERS?

SC:Most seafarers know the ITF and what we can do forthem. But we were lacking a one-stop shop whereseafarers could find relevant ITF information. It was alsoimportant for us to give seafarers more, which is why wehave included a lot of interactive tools on the site. We hopethat these will help us to communicate with seafarers.

WHAT NEW THINGS ARE YOU PROVIDING TO SEAFARERSTHROUGH THE WEBSITE?

SC:Seafarers can now look up their ship and getimportant information, such as whether it has an ITFagreement or when it was last inspected by the ITF. Thereis also an interactive discussion forum, Crew Talk, whereseafarers can exchange views about the things that affectthem. Another new area is the Inspector’s Blog, which isproving to be very popular. It seems that there is a greatdeal of interest in what our inspectors have to say, theexperiences they share and the advice they have to offer.There is also weekly news, so that seafarers can stay up todate with developments that affect them.

HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS THE WEBSITE BEEN SO FAR?

SC:We’ve had some fantastic feedback from seafarerswho have visited the site. And the steady growth in trafficis really encouraging. More and more seafarers aregetting in touch with us through the site now. And thisyear, with the launch of the language versions of the site,and ongoing development of the content, the website willcontinue to go from strength to strength.

YOU MENTION LANGUAGE SITES?

SC:Yes, this year we launch the site in Chinese, Russianand Spanish. We are really excited about this and hopethat the sites will offer non-English speakers much betteraccess to information and advice, particularly on theiremployment and trade union rights.

WHAT NEXT FOR THE WEBSITE

SC:This year we want to make sure that as many seafarersas possible know about and visit the site, including thelanguage versions. We are constantly looking to improvecontent. Next on the list is to include further informationfor seafarers about the Seafarers’ Bill of Rights (MaritimeLabour Convention 2006).


WHAT WAS THE ITF’S AIM IN CREATING A WEBSITESPECIFICALLY FOR SEAFARERS?

WHAT NEW THINGS ARE YOU PROVIDING TOSEAFARERS THROUGH THE WEBSITE?

HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS THE WEBSITE BEEN SO FAR?

YOU MENTION LANGUAGE SITES?

WHAT NEXT FOR THE WEBSITE?

Keep up the goodwork ITF.

habfanCongratulations–great stuff.

Dean

I’m thankful Ifound this site.kabiyakngmarino

Great web site.Bacon

This is a terrificsite –well done!

seachaplainThanks ITF! Thisis a great move.

joey

I am so glad theITF has offeredtheir help.

denz This is a greatsite.

chaplainds

Thanks. Youguys are reallygreat.

jacksplin Congratulationson a wonderfulnew site.

Robert Dickson

WHAT OUR USERS SAY:


HOMEPAGE:

www.itfseafarers.org hasbeen designed for all levelsof web user. You can chooseyour language using theselector at the top right ofthe homepage and thenbrowse the menus. ITFSeafarers includes weeklymaritime news stories,information about yourrights, and a regular blogfrom our inspectors.

CREW TALK:

If you’re away at sea formonths at a time thenisolation can be a problem.Make contact with otherseafarers and chat aboutthe things that affect youon Crew Talk, our onlinediscussion forum. It’s easyto register and will shortlybe available in Chinese/Russian/Spanish.

INSIDE THE ISSUES:

Our factsheets are handilygrouped together in asingle section and offer acomplete introduction to allthe key issues affectingseafarers, with links tofurther resources,information and practicaladvice just a click away.

37


The shipping market is probably the mostglobal of industries. In this crisis, theglobalisation of economies has meant

that much of the world is affected by theeconomic downturn of the countries within theglobal chain. Job losses are affecting all sectorsof the maritime market, there has been anincrease in seafarer abandonment and delayedor non-payment of seafarers.

The ITF and its affiliates across the world aretrying to counteract this and stave off the worstof the situation by protecting seafarers, butsome shipowners are having a terrible time,especially those that didn’t play it safe in thegood times.

We have gathered seven experts in the fieldto offer their opinion on the crisis, offer adviceand explain what they’ve been doing since iterupted.

They are:Igor Pavlov–president of the Seafarers’ Unionof Russia (SUR);Jacqueline Smith– president of NorskSjømannsforbund in Norway;Abdulgani Y Serang– general secretary-cum-treasurer of the National Union of Seafarers ofIndia;Nick Bramley– from UNIA in Switzerland and

chair of the ITF Inland Navigation Section;Paddy Crumlin– national secretary of theMaritime Union of Australia;Brian Martis–group business services directorof V-ships;Giles Heimann– secretary general of theInternational Maritime Employers’ Committee.

How is the economic crisisaffecting your work?

Igor Pavlov The economic situationnaturally influences the union; there are moreclaims for protection of rights and nonobservance of the collective bargainingagreement (CBA) clauses, but most of theclaims are about delays of wages. The numberof abandonment cases has drasticallyincreased; these cases –where shipownersleave vessels without supplies, food, wagesand repatriation – are the most difficult; all thecurrent abandonment cases we are dealingwith are on vessels without collectiveagreements.

Reuters/Bob

by Yip

The ITF has gatheredexperts from unionsand industry to giveseafarers the insideview on the crisis: youneed to read this;compiled by NICHOLASMITH from themaritime policy unit atITF head office.

Above: Unused containers are seen piled up atstorage depots near a residential area innorthwest Hong Kong during 2009.

Economiccrisis in focus

Jacqueline Smith As a trade unionwe have seen an increase in ship lay-ups, andthus crew lay-offs. Our shop stewards haverequested assistance from the union with thisand with crews’ legal and contractual rights.Shipowners are reflagging their vessels fromthe Norwegian Ordinary Register (NOR) toflags of convenience and replacing Norwegianseafarers with those on wages and workingconditions far below Norwegian levels. Sincemany of these vessels operate in Norwegianterritorial waters and the continental shelf, it isconsidered as social dumping.

Abdulgani Y Serang India, as astabilised developing economy, has not beenaffected to the same extent as the developedeconomies. For us, the economic crisis is moreof a mental perception rather than a physicalone. We have taken lessons from theexperience of the developed economies andare in a better position to face the crisis.

Nick Bramley In inland navigationthe effects have been dramatic with a total fall-off of over 25 per cent but with certain

categories suffering more than others. Thespeciality of inland waterways is the transportof bulk goods (oil, metals, ore, grains, buildingmaterials etc) and containers. In the currentcrisis the collapse of manufacturing hasparticularly hit metal and ore transport and thecontainer market. We have also had to endure adry summer and low water levels. There is a lotof uncertainty about the future especially as somany employers are owner operators who areunder-financed and not well equipped to dealwith a crisis.

Paddy Crumlin The Global FinancialCrisis (GFC) has affected the work of the MUA intwo ways. First, it requires a tremendous amountof additional resources devoted to themembership, particularly in stevedoring wherethe economic consequences of the GFC had itsmain impact. Some break bulk portsexperienced up to a 60 per cent drop in tonnagethroughput, ports generally experienced arounda 30 per cent reduction in throughput, all in amatter of months. Naturally, redundancies andseverely reduced hours became a reality for thefirst time in more than a decade. Secondly, it hasmade us and our union alliance partners think

and act strategically at the national and international policy level. That was achallenge for the trade union movement – didwe have the capacity both organisationally andintellectually to rise to the challenge and seekto influence the policy response?

Brian Martis The crisis has affectedthe shipping industry quite significantly. Thereare a number of ships laid up and the markethas not recovered to the extent thatbankruptcies will not occur. Consequently,many shipowners find themselves in financialdifficulties. The implications for seafarers arethat some shipowners are unable to meet theirobligations towards them. It is up to good shipmanagers to recognise the warning signs andto have the ability to ensure that seafarers aresigned off and repatriated before the situationbecomes irretrievable.

Giles Heimann The crisis isaffecting our work greatly, profit has beenwiped out. There are currently 12 per cent of


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Economiccrisis in focus


container ships laid up, some reports aresaying this could increase to 30 per cent.Shipowners are looking to cut costs and savemoney, so the last International BargainingForum (IBF) negotiations were the mostdifficult to date. The shipowners in IMEC areall responsible owners but if they go out ofbusiness, seafarers are out of work; theshipowners appreciate that there isunderstanding in the ITF family that times aredifficult for all.

How are you responding tohelp members?

JSThe union offers legal advice andassistance to the crew when

negotiating with the company on whoshould be laid off or dismissed based firstlyon seniority, although other criteria may betaken into account. We are also lobbying theNorwegian government to introduceregulations for vessels operating on thecontinental shelf with the aim of securingNorwegian wage and working conditions forall seafarers, regardless of nationality.

IP In all cases when seafarers ask forassistance from the Seafarers’ Union of

Russia on any problem (wages delays,problems with repatriation etc) the uniondoes everything possible to assist throughnegotiations with employers, requests forsupport from the ITF or from the fraternaltrade unions, through legal claims, letters tothe government and sometimes thepresident (as we did for the Arctic Sea crew).

ASThough the economic crisis hasaffected cargo volumes nationally

and internationally there has been nosubstantial loss of employment for Indianseafarers. The percentage of Indianseafarers has not come down drastically, asthey have consistently maintained theirshare of employment in world shipping.

NBWe have to ensure that measures arenot taken to respond to the crisis,

which then become “normal” afterwards. Soin inland navigation we have been activelyengaged in political lobbying against theincreased use of low-cost labour sourcedfrom outside Europe. For seafarers our mainarea has been working for Swiss ratificationof the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC),which we hope to achieve in 2010 (see pages27-32 for more on the MLC).

PCAt the most immediate level, we gavethe membership an opportunity to find

the best solutions to worker lay offs orreduced hours. They responded in a creativeway by identifying a raft of solutions which

protected jobs but reduced the cost to theemployer; this allowed minimal loss of jobs.Where redundancies were accepted, almostentirely on a voluntary basis, the collectiveagreements offered an attractive exit fromthe industry. The union was also successful inlobbying for special government assistanceto transition some redundant stevedores intoseafarer training, with prospects of gainingpositions as Integrated Ratings. We alsoworked at national level, urging thegovernment to adopt an economic stimuluspackage that was focused on immediate jobcreation and at international level with the ITFand the International Trade UnionConfederation to influence debates in forumssuch as the G20.

How does this downturncompare to previousslumps in the globaleconomy?

BMThis downturn is an exceptional one.It comes as a result of the disastrous

economic situation in the US. Globalisationhas ensured that what happens in the US,economically and politically, impacts the restof the world. The supremacy of the dollar as areserve currency is under threat. Somecountries are substantially reducing theirdollar reserves and dollar based assets. Forthe first time, oil is being traded in Euros aswell. Shipping interests are watching theunfolding developments keenly. Thisdownturn is more than cyclical in nature. It ishere to stay for at least two or three yearsdespite what politicians say.

�

Reuters/Th

ierry Ro

ge

European seafarers demanding better pay and working conditions protest near the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.

In briefSeafarers can take some simple steps to bein the best possible position, whateverhappens in the economy.

�Know your rights

�Join a union

�Upgrade your skills

For more information and help on all of theabove, go to www.itfseafarers.org, whereyou can also join the debate on our forums.

JSThe shipping crisis that came in thewake of the 1970s oil crisis was a result

of unexpected and extreme changes in thedemand for sea transport, especially in thetanker market. One similarity between thetwo crises is the overcapacity of existingships and the large number on order.However, after the ’70s the Norwegiangovernment established a guarantee systemfor ships and drilling vessels in an attempt tolimit the damage. This is still in force, but hasproved to be more effective for rigs andshipyards than for ships. Another similarityis the reflagging of ships from Norwegian toFOC or other EU flags that allows theshipowners to employ non-Europeanseafarers on wage and working conditionsbelow European standards and considerablylower than those in Norway.

PCIn my assessment, this is the mostsevere downturn in living memory. It

affected all sectors of the economy and for ourindustries, shipping and ports, the downturnin consumer confidence had a massive impacton domestic demand and therefore on ourimports in particular. Australia was somewhatshielded because of our supply of bulkcommodities like coal and iron ore to the Asianmanufacturing powerhouses, which, whilesuffering a hit, was relatively short-lived. Thereis no doubt that the union movement’slobbying of government for early and largeeconomic stimulus and for a renewed focus onskills development also helped ease the painfor workers.

IPAccording to IMF experts this globalcrisis is the worst since 1960. According

to the analysis of the 15 recent downturnssince 1960, for 21 developed economies, if thetypical recession lasts for a year it takes morethan five years to recover. It looks like thepresent crisis will be long and recoverydifficult.

GHIt is the worst in recorded memory. Noone saw it coming. It went from being

so good to so bad so quickly. Many thought thegood times would continue so over orderedvessels, but we were living in a bubble. Thiscrisis will be played out over many years.

ASIn the previous slumps there was atremendous loss of jobs. Indian

officers and ratings had to wait for monthsawaiting their turn of employment. This timearound the loss of jobs is definitely not ofthat magnitude. While the wages of ratingshave been slightly marginalised, the wages

of officers have not come down and they arevery much in demand.

NBWhat we notice most is that it istaking place in a deflationary period

here in Switzerland, so it’s not beenaccompanied by massive inflation as inprevious crises. We fear that purchasingpower will be affected by this and that willprolong the crisis unnecessarily. The timidityof our government with regard to stimulatingthe economy remains the same, however.When it came to rescuing the major banks,money was made freely available. We needmore public investment and assistance toyounger and long-term unemployed.

Where do you think thegrowth areas are in theindustry?

BMIn Europe, LNG (natural gas) willplay a substantial role, helping

efforts to diversify from traditional sourcesof supply, particularly from Russia. Theeconomic growth will be in China and India(growth in these countries has been lessaffected than in other parts of the world).Both countries are resource hungry and thiswill see huge opportunities for shipping.

GHI don’t think China will be theshipowner’s saviour that everyone

predicts it will be; they are largely an exportcountry, and imports aren’t that big in thenon-manufacturing areas. There are nogrowth areas to speak of at the moment.The container liner market may havebottomed out but the recovery will be slowin coming. Perhaps Asian shipowners,particularly the Japanese, will recover first.

What advice would yougive to seafarers who aresuffering through thiscrisis?

JSMy main advice would be to know theirrights. We see many companies taking

shortcuts when laying off crew. A seafarercannot stop a shipowner from laying up a ship or


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“This is the most severedownturn in livingmemory. It affected allsectors of the economyand for our industries,shipping and ports, thedownturn in consumerconfidence had a massiveimpact on domesticdemand and therefore onour imports in particular.

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Economic crisis

changing flag and replacing him/her withcheaper labour, but they have to follow the lawand the collective bargaining agreement whendoing so.

IP Let me quote a couple of old Russiansayings: “A fish is looking for deeper

places, and a man is looking for better places”and “When it is good do not look for thebetter”. I would advise seafarers to stick to thesecond one. If you’ve worked for a company fora few years do not go for better offers. If you arelooking for a job now please check with theunion if there is an ITF acceptable collectiveagreement on board before you sign youremployment contract. If there is no CBA on thevessel I would advise you not to take this job.Please find time to drop by the nearest SURoffice where you can get more informationabout the company for which you are going towork. If you are not a union member, pleaseregister. The union is not a charity and hasobligations and responsibilities only towardsthe members.

ASWe are advising our seafarers to have apositive outlook and try to hold on to

their jobs. It is better to keep a job and improveon it, rather than having no job at all. Indianseafarers have always stood up to theexpectations of the shipping industryworldwide.

NBWe all hope this will be a short crisis andwe know that there is a long-term

shortage of skilled seafarers and inlandnavigation workers. Colleagues would be welladvised not to lose hope and to keep in contactwith their unions at home for assistance andsupport. And unions should look at possibilitiesfor assisting with or lobbying for assistance withtraining, re-training and improving qualificationsfor those affected by the crisis until they can findwork again.

PCThe advice I would offer to dockers,seafarers and their unions is that we

must grasp the opportunity present. Capitalismcan only function efficiently and with stabilitywith well functioning labour markets. And this issomething that workers and trade unions canhave a big influence on. However, we must actcollectively to give effect to that potentialinfluence. So the advice I give to unions is to usethe opportunity to organise. The advice I give toseafarers is to join a union. The fundamentalsare critical – every worker must be offered theopportunity to become a unionist and, from

there, be given the opportunity to work as acollective in the workplace, in the industry andat the national level.

When do you think thingswill start to improvefinancially?

BMPossibly two to three years fromnow.

GHAt present I’m finding reports from thepress, both industry or otherwise, very

frustrating. Every day they are reporting the“green shoots” of recovery. These reports arenot helpful, there needs to be recognition fromthe industry that we are in tough financialtimes, it could be five years before we get backto anywhere near the previous good times. Themaritime employers in IMEC have a genuinedesire to make it through to the other sidewithout sacrificing jobs, we always emphasiseto them the importance of training staff,especially through the tough times.

What can seafarers do overthese lean times to makesure they are in the bestposition when the upturncomes along?

JSFor Norwegian seafarers, it has to be tostay employed if possible and also

specialise within offshore. Without a crystalball, it’s impossible to foresee what willhappen. Unfortunately I do not think we have

seen the “bottom” yet and I’m concerned thatour members will not be employed if we are notable to ensure Norwegian wage and workingconditions on our continental shelf.

ASWhen the seafarers are not on board,they should be looking at upgrading

their skills. They should particularly try toacquire technical skills that will help them inthe long run and also when the situation ispositive in terms of employment. Indians bynature are conscious of savings and seafarersare also advised to go in for financial planningand secure their future. NUSI provides all thenecessary support in counselling andchannelling their energies positively.

NBMy message to colleagues in laboursupply countries has to be – inform

yourself about conditions in the variouscompanies and employing countries andabove all don’t let yourself be “sold too cheap”.That means strengthening unions in the homecountries so that they can put more pressureon governments and crewing agencies toensure acceptable conditions. If we let thiscrisis weaken our interests regaining lostground could take years.

PCFor dockers and seafarers who have notlost their job, there is a new

responsibility to learn from the experience ofthe crisis to become better organised andbetter prepared for the future. For dockers andseafarers who may have lost their job, I believeit is important to maintain contact with theunion, seek access to training or retrainingopportunities and seek to re-enter the industrydetermined never to allow such a crisis toundermine workers’ rights in the future. If thereis one lesson that we should learn from whathas happened, it is that trade unions are anabsolutely essential part of the fabric of societyin protecting the interests of workers.


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“Don’t let yourself be ‘sold too cheap’. That meansstrengthening unions in the home countries so thatthey can put more pressure on governments andcrewing agencies to ensure acceptable conditions. Ifwe let this crisis weaken our interests regaining lostground could take years.

”

Economic crisis

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