The ITF brought together nine unions from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the United States for this first XPO strategy meeting, on 6 April in Paris.
Maersk will now change their charter party agreements to include a requirement that the charter vessel owners must document that the vessel is covered by an ITF agreement or similar.
Maersk Group vessels (owned or chartered) total around 500 ships.
The expulsion – on grounds of ‘disturbing public order, tranquillity and social peace’ – resulted from Mr Akman’s participation in a peaceful sit-in with workers from Cencosud, a major Latin American retailer.
“Since 1948 our organisation has fought against FOCs. Panama was the first of these. It’s now the biggest. The whole FOC system is based on a culture of secrecy and lack of accountability.
The move followed the recent dismissals, investigations and prosecutions under the Turkish Penal Code and Anti-Terror Law of 1,128 academics from 89 universities in Turkey, including the imprisonment of four human and trade union rights defenders, over their demands for peace.
The event will be held at 10:00 on 27 April 2016 in the Campo Alegre A suite of The Marriott Hotel, Calle 52 con Ricardo Arias, Panama City (www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ptypa-panama-marriott-hotel).
The ITF was a major mover in the development of the MLC, which sets out comprehensive and enforceable minimum standards for seafarers’ working and living conditions, and which has been described as ‘the most ambitious convention ever, covering the modern realities of working conditions on board a
IMEC and the ITF work together as social partners to administer the SEPF. The funds will support the work of the Kherson State Maritime Academy (KSMA) and the National University ‘Odessa Maritime Academy’ (NU-OMA).
The ITF commissioned the study, which was carried out by Brazil’s Fundação Homem de Mar (FHM), in response to safety concerns raised by its Panamanian member unions (see http://goo.gl/TdcK5Y).
According to ITF member the Workers' Union of Solomon Islands (WUSI), SIPA chief executive Colin Yow had objected to its application for union recognition, forcing WUSI to report the matter to the Trade Disputes Panel (TDP).
