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The phantom menace
As you know, this part of the website offers seafarers up-to-date information on real issues and covers our experiences as ITF Inspectors working on your behalf. How many of you have heard about seafarer recruitment scams using internet websites? Usually, these target seafarers from developing countries or prospective seafarers who are often quite desperate and have little knowledge about how a person really secures maritime employment. |
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Storm warning
The other day I came across a really interesting story – one that touches on so many of the issues we ashore often preach about. You know what I mean: whether it’s the ITF, IMO or a shipowners' association, concerns are constantly being voiced about the shortage of skilled crew, the marine environment and the thorny issue of criminalisation of seafarers. In fact, the IMO has decided that 2010 will be the International Year of the Seafarer. |
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The burden of proof
Happy New Year to you all – may it be a safe one. It still amazes me that many of the seafarers I try and help don’t have anything in writing that could be used as evidence to support their case. Often there has been an ongoing disagreement between a crew member and a captain, or ship manager, or crew manager, and you find that most of the discussions have been verbal, which makes it impossible to show who said or promised what to whom, and when.
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Dirty Little Secrets
One of the reasons the ITF started this Inspector's Blog is to use it to communicate our thoughts about our work as Inspectors, about how we view the industry and the people in it, and also to allow us to share our experience with seafarers so that you are able to protect yourselves from unfortunate circumstances. I fully understand the shipowners' arguments. With a shortage of manpower, they need to exploit all sources of seafarer labour supplies to keep the world's merchant fleet manned, they say. But when seafarers were originally recruited from countries like China, Vietnam and Burma, shipowners were simply recruiting cheap and compliant labour. It was very clear and very stark. The intention was to avoid any ITF problems and to avoid having to conclude an ITF-acceptable CBA. Or, in some cases, it was to protect the shipowner who had an ITF CBA but was unwilling to actually pay those salaries. That’s the dirty little industry secret known as double bookkeeping. |
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Pirate-infested seas 'not fit for seafarers'
The ITF today threw down the gauntlet to those flag states and shipowners who have not taken action to fight Somali piracy to act now... Read more here>> |
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Fighting the recession together
Greetings, Brothers and Sisters This edition, I bring you a gripping story of how the recession is taking its toll on seafarers – and how maritime labour is standing strong to defend them. It’s been a busy year for the ITF globally. More and more shipping companies are defaulting on bank payments, and banks and other creditors are scrambling to cope without setting off mass bankruptcies in the global fleet. The situation is complicated by a shipbuilding boom launched five years ago. Orders were placed when times were good, but new-builds are hitting the water in a market that doesn’t need them. All of this has a significant effect on freight rates, with every market affected. Daily rates and long-term charter rates are low – and the prospects for some segments of the industry continue to weaken. As you might expect, seafarers are caught in the bight. While some companies are shorting crew on salaries, others are simply walking away, leaving us at the ITF to sort out with creditors how to deal with the abandonment, maintain the ship, get the seafarers’ salaries and then return them home. In a recent case, a vessel owned by the president of a major shipowners’ association – a body that’s done a lot of bragging about its progressive crewing and environmental practices – ignored stated commitments when it came to his own company. A few months ago a bulk carrier sailed in for a load of grain. The Filipino crew contacted my office on behalf of wives and family back home, who had stopped receiving their home allotments from the company. When settlement negotiations began with the company and during my investigation, I found the crewing agency in Manila had also stopped receiving funds from the company and was laying out cash for the allotments on its own – an unusual and admirable step, and something I have never seen before. When the crew threatened to strike to support the claim, the company found the $71,000 and we settled the onboard portion of the outstanding salary. The company promised it would settle up accounts in the Philippines in the coming weeks, as the vessel was heading to China with a load of grain and then onward. The crew and the crewing agency in Manila stayed in contact with me for the next couple of months – through a drama that would play out in the far-flung ports of the world. Just before the vessel arrived at its next port, I was contacted once again by the agency and crew, who were now owed more than $140,000 in onboard wages. I advised them to contact the local ITF inspector who had been briefed and who took charge of negotiations. The agency advised that the total tally for its money and the families at home was $350,000. We also learned there was money owing on two other ships in the fleet – sums of $170,000 and $120,000, respectively. All told, we needed to recover more than $850,000. The company was not going to roll over easily. It tried a number of tactics, which included supplying a set of fake documents purporting to confirm the international wire transfer of funds. Company lawyers threatened the crew, who staged a six-day strike. The ITF was threatened repeatedly with legal action, as was the affiliated union. At one point in an email communication with the captain, who had become a friend, I wrote: “Hold fast! I have been closely following your struggle. I want to congratulate all of you for your commitment to receive the justice necessary. I know it has been a difficult fight, but these cases always are.” Days turned into weeks; emails and calls flew back and forth between continents. In the end, due to the hard-fought agreement put in place by the ITF inspector and the continued threat of job action on two other continents, the company agreed to pay up. Who won this fight? The crew of the ship that had taken the original action – the very seafarers who stood firm and fought for their lawful wages and started the ball rolling. They learned – as many of you have – to use collective strength. They learned that if they were brave, they would be supported by dockworkers in the ports they visited. So, there’s a story of what a dedicated group of workers under the gun can achieve with collective courage and dedication – not just the ITF inspectors, but also the crews who worked closely with us on each of the ships, every step of the way. A tip of the cap to the former captain, officers and crew of that bulk carrier. And a tip of the cap to our fellow ITF inspectors who took the ball as it was passed to them, and to the dockers who supported the campaign. It was a big job and a big haul of wages. |
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United we stand
Following on from last week’s blog post about the Japanese anti-union company Dowa Line, you too can lend your support to the campaign by sending a letter directly to Dowa. |
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East Asia joint action begins
ITF-affiliated trade unions in Japan, Korea and Taiwan are today beginning an East Asian maritime week of action (7 to 11 September). Read the full press release here>> |
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A slice of the struggle
The ITF contracts enjoyed by seafarers around the world are not always won without a struggle. And we Inspectors are currently engaged in one with Japanese company Dowa Line. Unlike the vast majority of Japanese ship-owners operating FOC ships, Dowa does everything it can to avoid giving its seafarers the security and dignity of an ITF Collective Bargaining Agreement. By dodging ITF agreements, Dowa exposes all seafarers working for Japanese companies. It pushes down wages and conditions and makes it more difficult to maintain hard-won high standards on other fleets. ITF Inspectors have got together and created an exciting worldwide campaign to help Dowa crews get the wages, conditions and respect they deserve. You can read more about this campaign here. Last week a group of trade unionists in Canada made a show of solidarity by braving some harsh weather conditions and holding a rally in St John, New Brunswick. On 11 September, ITF unions will bring this struggle to the company’s doorstep for a rally at their headquarters in Japan. We are not afraid of Dowa, and seafarers don’t need to be either if they stick together. With your help, we can bring justice to all Dowa crews. If you work for Dowa or know anyone who does please talk to your shipmates and build solidarity onboard so we can help you. Dowa’s bulk carriers mainly trade in the Americas and among these are many older ships that make life at sea hard for the workers. The company may tell crew members that they don’t need a union, that it will take care of them and even hire their friends and family, but seafarers are smarter than that. They know that companies like Dowa only pay the rates they do because the ITF is out there fighting for good wages and conditions. We Inspectors will keep visiting these ships. We will make sure that the Japanese authorities, Dowa customers and other people that Dowa deals with know what kind of company it is. We will keep the pressure on them to do the right thing for their hard-working crews. We hope you will do your bit too. And if you work for Dowa, contact your nearest ITF Inspector to talk in confidence about conditions onboard and what you can do to help with this campaign. Remember: an injury to one is an injury to all! Seafarers stand stronger together.
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A deadly serious business
Death is something that a lot of people don’t like to talk about, or even think about. But as a seafarer you really should take a moment to consider what would happen if you were to die on board ship. |
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ITF Inspectors Seminar 2009
Greetings friends,
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Hebei Two cleared of major charge and soon to be allowed home
The two officers have been found not guilty of destruction of the tanker Hebei Spirit by South Korea's High Court and are expected to be allowed to return to India soon. The lesser charge of not doing enough to prevent an oil leak was not overturned, despite the worldwide condemnation |
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Instant Karma
Last week, while checking our ITF database, I noted a ship in port that needed a follow-up inspection because of problems found at the previous port. Another inspector was called to assist a second engineer who had to go home. There were also questions regarding his performance and salary. At the time of vessel's departure from the port, the 2/Eng had not been repatriated due to the vessel requiring his licence to meet the Safe Manning Certificate.
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Where have all the young seafarers gone?
Anyone following the maritime press will know that despite the current downturn in every sector of the shipping market, one thing remains constant: the shortage of skilled seafarers continues. Latest estimates still project a shortfall of nearly 84,000 officers by 2012.
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Downturn will jeopardise ship safety
International maritime press giant Lloyds List News reports that Jorgen Hammer Hansen, new chairman of the European Maritime Safety Agency, is predicting an increase in ship incidents and pollution. The story notes companies are more likely to postpone maintenance and installation of new equipment and will jeopardise safety, security and the environment.
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On the frontline of piracy
Upcoming changes to the Standard of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers convention have been in the news recently. During his opening address to the committee, International Maritime Organization Secretary General Efthimios Mitropoulos said that it was essential the convention and code be comprehensively reviewed to ensure they meet the new challenges facing the shipping industry. Admiral Mitropoulos said he hoped the committee might consider in the revision process "appropriate provisions to ensure that seafarers are properly educated to face situations whereby their ship is under attack by pirates".
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Tough times mean tougher action
Hope everyone sailing in the northern trades is keeping warm and enjoying the arrival of some calmer weather – it's been an awful winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
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ILO wage scales and your pay
Are you on a ship without an ITF collective agreement? Or are you a deck or engine-room rating working on a cruise ship? Maybe you work on a national flag vessel – in other words a ship that isn’t a flying a flag of convenience? Or perhaps you are working aboard a South Korean beneficially owned ship? So for your information, attached to this post below, are copies of the latest ILO wages and a link to our ILO resource page, which includes a more formal explantion. It will be very interesting to see where all of this goes in the future when the ILO Maritme Labour Convention comes into force. This is expected in 2011 or 2012.
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New year, same story
Here we are, well into January 2009. At this time of year there are many crew changes so if you have just joined your ship, welcome aboard, and for those reading from the comfort of their hometowns, I wish you a well deserved rest. Yes, these are the same kind of vessel operators that the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is describing when it states: "substandard ships carry with them a higher than normal risk of being involved in serious incidents, which impose large costs on communities, including loss of life and environmental damage. This is a situation which should not be tolerated by governments, shipowners, shippers and the maritime industry generally."* * Download a PDF of the full OECD Policy on Substandard Shipping here.
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Home can be a lifeline
Lately, I've noticed that more email requests for assistance have been coming from crew members' families.
Sometimes it's a seafarer's father, but more often than not it's a wife or daughter. Remember the old saying, 'A life at sea is like going to prison, but with the chance of drowning'? When I used to swing my sea bag over the rail and set foot upon the cold steel of the deck, I used to put on what I called my 'boat face'. I put up a little barrier around myself in order to deal with all of those things that cause discomfort and aggravation aboard ship. This helped me to maintain a constant level of performance and cope with stressful situations during my time at sea. I think most seafarers have coping mechanisms. But sometimes the way we cope interferes with our better judgement. With improved communications such as SMS texting and email in the family home, crew can more easily stay in contact with loved ones. Now we can count on our family to support us while we are away. And sometimes it is our family that can see when we are in distress or even peril. Two recent cases: I received an email from the father of an Electrical Officer. His son and shipmates' contracts had expired nearly two months previously and still the company would not repatriate them. With a simple call to the company, they started repatriation arrangements for those crew who had reached the end of their contracts. Problem solved. I was sent an email from a Bosun's daughter. Her father told her he was concerned about the maintenance of the vessel. He cited issues with the lifeboat and radar. This 27-year-old bulk carrier had recently undergone an inspection and was supposedly seaworthy. Despite the fact that she had passed this recent check-up, I requested she be re-inspected under the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control. Mid-voyage she encountered a vicious storm. Her turbo-charger packed up and she made for the nearest port, under 4 knots. When government ship safety inspectors boarded, they found three cracked frames and a fourth one bent. Those inspectors said that if the fourth frame 'let go', number one cargo hold would have flooded and the vessel would, in all likelihood, have foundered. If left un-repaired this ship would have faced certain trouble. I wrote back to the bosun's daughter and congratulated her for saving this ship. Some years ago, I remember another bosun who was badly injured. The insurance company gave him a cheque for $30,000, or half of what he was entitled to. The man's daughter telephoned me and asked if this was correct. In the end we made the company pay the full amount, $60,000. So when you are out there with your shipmates, but still feel alone, it pays to be honest with your family. When you get that chance to make a call home or send an email, tell them what's going on, tell them if something is bugging you. Chances are they will see the problem or the danger and they will help to do something about it. For now, safe sailing. Got a point you'd like to make about this post? Please login or register at the top of the page to leave a comment. |
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